


Eternity Awaits

by Jack64



Category: Star Fox Series
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-21
Updated: 2019-02-02
Packaged: 2019-05-09 19:23:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 122,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14722118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jack64/pseuds/Jack64
Summary: A year has passed since the Anglar Blitz, Star Wolf reigns as the top Mercenary team. With Star Fox defeated, Fox McCloud has vanished and the team disbanded. All that remains is the Great Fox, and for Krystal, her journey for redemption starts where it all began. Her very mind, body, and soul will be tested, all for one answer she desperately seeks; can she be forgiven?





	1. Echoes

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! I'm new to Ao3 and getting used to the system here! This story has been in progress over on FF.net so I thought I'd bring it over here with my account in full swing. . Brace yourself for a feels train, kick back, and enjoy.

Krystal strode along the halls of Great Fox, her eyes trailing over the various walls, light fixtures, the old break room. The entry into hangar had been a moment of nostalgia for her, of missions flown together, not for profit, or for personal gain. Their fight had been for the good of the system. To protection the innocent and those who could not defend themselves. Krystal's boots tapped lightly on the deck plating as she wandered. Echoes of past conversations lingered within the air. Laughter, joy, comradery,  with not an inkling of suspicion or anger. There was warmth in those halls, and it wasn't entirely the ship's heating.

She felt love and happiness, but there came a sudden onset of grief as her pink-gloved paw came to rest over her heart. Pangs of guilt-wracked her and before they could dig in, Krystal crushed them and pushed them into the back of her mind. She was not the lost little vixen Fox had found on Sauria a lifetime ago. She knew better now, better than to trust people with her heart, to show love and affection so unconditionally; even if her current choice in mates was questionable at best.

_At least Panther has no qualms about showing his affections or telling me he loves me. Even if it is more lust than actual love, better than nothing… I suppose._

As she went further in, the emotions turned from sweet to bitter. The psionic echoes bounced off the wall; she could hear the argument all over again, Fox told her he was scared, terrified of losing her, that he wanted her off the team. How he would support her in anything she chose and gladly keep their relationship going even if it was a long distance one. Tears began to well up in the corners of her eyes, the reflections of those raw emotions, shouting, crying, the pain and anguish they both experienced doubled down on her. She had to rest her weight upon the nearby wall, lest she collapsed from the power of those emotions bearing down upon her.

It all became too much as she snarled out in anger, silencing her heart for a time. Krystal stood upright as she made her way towards Foxs' quarters. It was the only logical place to start. A slip of her keycard unlocked the room and allowed Krystal to step inside. What greeted her was not at all what she expected. Her eyes trailed over the cabin, dust lined the various furnishings and floor, she could see paw tracks where Fox had walked. Fox was meticulous about being neat. Before her very eyes his quarters were in shambles.

_Wow… he really let himself go._

One track of boot prints in particular lay before his desk. It was a place where he would often crunch numbers for their pay, logistics and other materials needed to run and maintain the group. It looked as though he had paced for hours in front of it. Her empathy pinged as something glowed within the dim lights of the cabin, something had a powerful emotional aura. As she took a closer look, the entire desk was glowing with a myriad of emotions.

Sorrow, Anger, Regrets, Pain. Loss.

Krystal decided to move in that direction and start there, with Fox MIA, which was within a hair's breadth of being declared dead, she had been entrusted in the vulpines will to take care of his belongings. Even given the deed to Great Fox as per Foxs' orders should he ever go missing. That had chaffed the old gang to no end and put a big ol' smile on Wolf's face. The memory made her frown, never had she imagined that she would be on the opposite side of righteousness.

A pile of papers and other various articles were scattered about. Newspaper clippings lay strewn across the wood, some detailing Star Wolfs ascension to hero status, Star Foxs' waning influence in the system, what caught her eye the most were the articles of her. Her face had been circled in numerous papers again and again with notes written. Her psionics lets her hear his voice as if he was speaking directly to her.

_How could I be so stupid?_

_I didn't deserve to be near her._

_I should have told her how I felt._

_How much I loved her._

_She's better off with them; I only hurt her._

_I just hope she's happy._

That last one caught her off guard, the emotions she gathered from the clippings weren't directed at her as she expected. They were focused towards himself, save for that last one.

_He beat himself up for his decision._

So many regrets were plastered in the voices, but so to was anger and even some modicum of joy that she was alright.

_Even when I hurt him, he still cared that I was okay and happy._

She shook her head to silence that train of thought. Krystal had taken her revenge on Fox and was satisfied, wherever the coward had run off to, he was nowhere in Lylat.

_Just like him really, to run from his problems rather than face the consequences of his actions._

She paused the moment that thought came to her mind; _No, that's precisely the opposite of what Fox would do. I remember how he begged for me to come back on an open channel, in front of everyone. How I snubbed him, the pain on his face, he looked… broken._

She gave a little frown as she sat in the dusty chair. Her uniform that she wore flying for Star Wolf, the mockery she made of it to piss off Fox, yellow scarf and all. At the time, she had taken the greatest pleasure in his pain. The sense of schadenfreude had been sublime, appeasing her ego and pride. That she had found a way to get back at him so viciously. However, with her at the epicenter of her actions, she saw the consequences. Cracks began to form, had it been worth it? She found herself wondering, what might have been had she given Fox a second chance.

All these thoughts and more began to permeate her mind. Her manicured claw tips tapped on the wooden chair, ears splayed back, and tail thrashed about angrily.

_Of course, it was worth it! All of it! That bastard took my only home from me after Cerinia was destroyed! I wanted to give him my heart, my everything, and he wouldn't make the step to take us to the next level. He deserved what he got!_

Krystals memories began to plague her as she recalled how many times they had come close to bliss. She had managed to get him to open up and hold her. Many a night they lay cuddled together. The kissing, the nuzzling. She took a deep breath as the images flew by and the emotions that came with them; how happy she felt, how warm his lips against hers were. What saddened her the most was he never took the leap. Instead, she was left waiting for him. Krystal didn't want to force his hand for him to admit his feelings. Sure, he had done so physically and as often as he could. Saying them was another matter. Krystal had wanted him to open up the emotions they both knew to be there. The desire she had in her heart to take their relationship to the next level was all-encompassing. The cerulean vixen knew he was afraid, not of her, but what could happen to her. Him being a big name in Lylat, already on the team had made her a target, but the two of them becoming an Item. She might as well have put a neon sign on her head for assassination.

 _Did he really deserve that treatment? What_ I did _to him? His fears weren't unfounded._

Her mind began to rebel, her Cerinian upbringing rearing its head.

_Honor, Compassion, Love, Mercy, Understanding. Those are the tenants of a Cerinian Warrior._

Her mother's voice intoned within her mind; eyes clenched shut in response as she growled, who she had become was doing everything to deny it. That it was all lies and useless, her people were dead. Her heart, however, would not be denied. Her mind was tugged towards a drawer on the right, anger and sorrow oozed out of it like oil. A wince of her features as she pulled the drawer open and what lay within was a stack of papers. It was the header that caught her eye the most: Corneria City Veterans Hospital.

Krystal's mouth went dry, she never heard of Fox being admitted to a hospital. The cobalt vixen took the papers, laying them out page by page while her eyes scanned over every piece of text.

**Patient Name: Fox McCloud**

**Reasons for Admission: Lacerations of the sternum, fragmentation wounds from glass and metal upon impact event. Second Degree burns from energy blasts. Several broken ribs, punctured lung, severe internal hemorrhaging.**

**Status Upon Admission: Critical**

**Next of Kin: Peppy Hare**

**Emergency Contacts: Krystal, Falco Lombardi, Peppy Hare, Slippy and Beltino Toad.**

In the nearly illegible doctor's script beneath it read: **Do not contact Krystal.**

The pages went on; various procedures were detailed. They had not used cybernetics or false replacements, deeming them unnecessary. Krystal's eyes trailed further down until they came to rest on a section of doctors notes. What lay within, were several personal observations during the three days of operation. Krystal could feel the desperation emanating off of them, haggard emotions of fatigue and some sense of accomplishment that the doctor had performed a miracle.

**Doctor Phillis Menderley**

**Notes: How McCloud is alive after all this, is nothing short of divine intervention, a lesser specimen would have died within the first minutes of receiving these wounds. If not from the blood loss, then the shock of it should have killed him outright. He even regained consciousness a time or two. The first words passed his lips were, "Where is Krystal? Is she okay?"**

Krystal's stomach lurched at that, the fact that even in his dying moments, Foxs' thoughts were of her, and hoped that she was safe.

**Day 3: Three days of this, constant plasma infusions, we've been going through blood bags and painkillers like crazy just trying to keep him stable. I have slept maybe all of about ten hours. However, It seems whatever divine being that watches over him, blessed us, as of 0340 this morning, we got him out of the danger zone. We plugged the lung and had to make sure his sternum didn't give out during one of his pain induced spasms. It was a nightmare. We had to restrain him which caused further pain due to his burns. Thankfully those will heal fully. His scarring will be minimal if nonexistent. Medical tech has undoubtedly come a long way since my days in the service. With his bones set and everything ready, all that remains is rest and time to heal.**

**I would like to make note, during the procedure for mending his chest cavity that I think I have encountered one of the most heart-wrenching moments in my life. I will never forget it. Fox called out for Krystal, saying he was sorry, crying, begging for forgiveness. He pleaded with her not to leave. The poor bastard must have thought she was there in his delirious state. It's sad really because I know heartbreak when I see it, and he has all the hallmarks. Gods know I've seen enough of it during my career. I might recommend some mental evaluations, kids been through a lot in his life. Only so much you can take before the mind gives out.**

Krystal couldn't tear her eyes away, reading on as she felt her heart spiral and clench in the worst ways.

**The worst of it is I haven't the heart to tell him when he wakes up; that it was her that led Star Wolf against him. That she led him into that trap, after all he did for that girl? She turns around and throws him to the enemy, it's disgraceful. The only reason I know it was a trap is because I overheard some of the military brass talking about it in the hallway. The higher-ups haven't gotten any smarter since I was in.**

**I know you will read these notes Fox, I'm so sorry. You don't deserve what you got, especially after everything you have done for Lylat. All I can do is keep you alive and hope that things work out for you in the end. Godspeed.**

Krystal dropped the final paper as her head hung low and chest heaved. Tiny wet droplets rained down upon the paper as she sniffled.

_You nearly took his life! All because of your thirst for revenge!_

Her eyes rose up to gaze upon the papers, she spoke aloud, though only she could hear it. Her voice was a far cry from the surefire confident warrior she was for Star Wolf, and once had been for Fox. She sounded more like a child now, terrified of her actions and was realizing just how far reaching the consequences were.

"I told him he was as bad as Andross… I even tried to justify that monsters actions… All to harm him. Gods above, I nearly succeeded in spite, where Andross had failed with his blind hatred."

Krystal lay back in the chair, heart, and mind careening with grief at who she had become. She knew her parents would disown her for her actions, for the shame she brought on her people. The last of her kind and she made a mockery of all they stood for. All because she had been spurned.

Her mind demanding she repents for her sins. The sin of hurting the most kind and gentle fox she ever knew. The most loyal fox in all of Lylat, whose greatest crime of all?

Loving her.

Tears began to flow more freely as she choked back a sob that threatened to tear forth only to be followed by her fist slamming into the wood, shaking it as the noise echoed off the walls, that same terrified voice barely above of a whisper. "I threw it all back in your face…"

A small pool of tears formed around her head where it lay as her control gave out. For several minutes her body heaved and was wracked with intense sobs. Her voice became hoarse, sounding more like a pathetic croak than the sound of a hardened mercenary such as herself. "Please, come back Fox, I'm sorry! I'm sorry for hurting you!" She cried into the dim lights of the ship she once called home, the ship that held her family, the ones that loved her and took her in. Gave her purpose and a second chance, the family she turned her back on and destroyed everything she held dear. Her voice carried down the empty halls, all that answered her, was silence.

She understood how Fox had felt before he vanished, what it meant to be true, utterly, alone.


	2. Reconstruction

Krystal did not know how long she had sat in Foxs' quarters; her mind had been in tatters, beleaguered. While she was not in the best of moods, she had recovered from her ordeal. The cobalt vixen felt somehow empty, like an enormous amount of weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She by no means felt guilt free or happy, or that she could move forward, realization dawned on her that crying and letting out all that pent up frustration and sorrow in one fell swoop, had been what she needed most. Not the touch of a man, or someone to hold her. What was needed was a chance to adequately express just how she felt and be true not only to herself but her friends as well.

And what she felt like at that moment was, a complete rotten bitch. She had wronged everyone she knew, Peppy, Katt, Slippy, Falco, Bill, all their friends, and allies. Worst of all, she hurt her family, and the man she loved most. She had brought shame upon her fallen people. In a childish fit of pride and anger Krystal threw away the best life anyone could ask for and would have continued as such, realizing that if she had been patient and waited and talked to Fox, things might have turned out differently.

Krystal had found her way to the bridge during her reflection, and it was where ROB had once been, the Great Fox was left to languish for some time. The expectation that fox would come back and reclaim it, but never did. It was just as it had been when she first set foot here. The first time she got to talk with him. Once more the echoes came forth, she took a deep inhale as the scene played out in her head.

" _...And that's to say thank you…"_

_"I detect Fox McCloud's temperature is rising."  
_

_"Haha! You're not shy are ya, Fox?!"  
_

How bashful he had been, so cute and adorable, how strong his eyes looked, and yet, for all his destructive nature; he was still humble and the most handsome vulpine she had ever met. Back then, she wanted to spend her life with him, to fly amongst the stars, to fight by his side and maybe one day even give birth to his children.

For the first time in years, she smiled with genuine happiness. Krystal remembered that first year, it had been an enjoyable experience. She had spent so much time alone among the stars after Cerinia fell, she had a home, she had a family again. Most of all, she had a prospective mate. All of that was gone now, the question that burned most within her mind, was where to go from here?

_Do I forget about Fox and move on with my life… Do I go back to Panther and Star Wolf?_

"And do what… listen to Panther talk in the third person for the rest of my life? While he talks all flowery at me, rather than to me?" She muttered angrily. She had become increasingly exasperated with Panther. His charms had quickly worn off. Why she was still with the idiot… well, no, she knew two reasons why she was with him. To get back at Fox, and the simple fact she didn't want to to be alone.

"Gods… I'm pathetic." She planted her face firmly in her paw.

_My other choice is to go looking for Fox, and he could be anywhere by now. He could… No, I refuse even to think that. If Fox were dead, I would certainly know.  
_

It was a bold claim, but not an unfounded one. Despite how close they had been, Krystal and Fox never fully realized their relationship. The pair had been close. Far closer than anyone had been to him in a very long time. She knew it, in her heart, that Fox was alive somewhere. She just hoped he was okay, and no matter how vain it was, she desired to see him again.

_Where do I start though, where do I even begin?_

In a flash, a stroke of brilliance, or perhaps just a stroke at the rate she was going. An idea came forth; it was desperate, it was stupid and highly unlikely ever to work.

_But gods if I am out of options; and this is all that's left to me, one last try, to do what's right._

**X-X-X-X**

General Peppy Hare stood at the top of The CDF's command and control tower, eyeing Corneria city and the vast coast it boasted. The old hair gingerly stroking his magnificent mustache, his officers uniform neatly pressed, laurels done up correctly. A little adjustment of his glasses as he gazed out over one of the most memorable battlefields of his life. He was in the midst of his reverie when a young officer approached.

"General Hare, Sir! I have a message from the Great Fox."

Peppy blinked, only one person was on that ship, and he knew who it was. Peppy was tempted sorely to brush off the call, but if it was her, he hoped somewhere, that maybe a shred of the blue vixen he had helped train still survived somewhere in that bitter heart.

"Patch it through to my office, Lieutenant."

"Sir!" The canine walked off. The ancient hare closed the door into his office and made sure everything was in place. He didn't want anyone eavesdropping on his call. Let alone any snooping reporters or hackers get whiff of it.

A brief bit of static and the picture cleared on his desk as Krystal appeared on his communicator screen. Peppy was shocked, to say the least; Krystal looked like hell, her ordinarily beautiful eyes were tinged red from crying, her hair was disheveled, and her facial fur looked an utter mess.

"Krystal… is everything alright?" That fatherly tone he took with those who were closest to him, it had slipped out with such ease. Even after all the hurt and pain she had caused, Peppy still did think of her as family.

She took a deep breath, her ears were down, and whiskers had long since drooped. She did give Peppy a smile. However, it was one that made her uncomfortable, but she was at least trying. "No Peppy, everything is not alright."

Her voice was timid, scared, vulnerable. She usually was fiery and vicious. It was a surprise for Peppy, and it gave him a gentle ray of hope.

"What's wrong Krystal?"

"Peppy, I… I need to talk to everyone, in person. Not over a communicator."

Peppy's first response was almost a"fat chance" from his lips, but he saw it in her eyes, the way she expressed herself physically, all those years working with Fox and James, he knew vulpine expressions like the back of his paw.

 _This is on the level_ , Peppy thought to himself.

"Krystal… that's not going to be easy to convince everyone. I hope you understand."

"I know Peppy… believe me, I know. Who can blame them after what I did? Even if only two of you show up, I'll consider it something." Her voice was so dejected and filled with choked back emotions.

_It must be taking all her willpower not to break down.  
_

"Where did you want us all to be?"

"Here," she responded. "Where it all started, only seems proper after I buggered everything."

"Fox playe-"

"Don't… Fox did nothing wrong. I know that now, just wish I realized it sooner. We all might still be together."

Peppy gave her a nod. "I'll try Krystal, but I can't make any promises to you."

"I understand Peppy, thank you, even if it doesn't work, thank you." She meant it to. Her voice alone said it all.

"Just don't do anything dumb, alright?"

The vixen gave a simple nod to her friend, someone she considered a father figure. As the call ended she let out a deep exhausted sigh, tears streamed anew from her eyes as she held her head in those pink-gloved paws. "What have I become?" she muttered quietly. "Can I undo all that I have done? Or at least try to rebuild my bridges?" The rough-shod vixen took a deep calming breath before she stood and went to where her old quarters had been.

She was surprised to find things were just as she left them, no one had been in there save for Fox. His scent lingered on; he had likely come in here for something, anything to inspire him so that he might have a chance of recovering a lost love. His devotion to her wrenched her heart once more, and she had left him asunder. Bit by bit her eyes trailed around the room before she a sharp gasp left her lips.

Krystal quickly sprinted across the room and scooped the object in her hands, holding it as tightly as she could.

"My staff… he found it! After the Aparoid invasion…" Her voice was cut short as the weapon glowed with dark energy and rebounded off of her, forcing her away with a gravitonic blast. A loud yelp emitted from her lips as she was tossed back and hit a nearby wall with a distinct **thump**.

Panic set in, the last relic of her people was turning its back on her. "No! No! No! No! You can't reject me! You're all I have left, all I have left of him and my home!" She quickly wrapped her paws around the staff, trying to force her will onto the weapon, to push it into obedience. She would be damned before she lost this part of her life as well.

It was a contest of wills, while her staff was not "alive," it still had some instinctual nature about it. It could tell the pure of heart from the wretched, and it could choose its handler. In her case, she was found unworthy. The staff was telling her as such, that it would not function properly for her anymore.

The sheer feeling of betrayal that set in her heart, that the one piece of her home besides her tiara was rejecting her; It was as painful as losing Fox all over again. Still, she held on, trying to express to the staff that she was working to repent, she was attempting to make things right! She felt remorse, and she understood the terrible actions she had undertaken and how it hurt all those around her. She needed the staff, it was apart of her, just as Fox was.

_Please! I beg you, give me the chance to redeem myself. I can't do this without you!_

The staff had been humming deeply, ready to discharge another blast, the humming, however, came to a halt. Krystal could feel it; it was contemplating. Should it? Would it?

A tingle in the back of her mind tipped her off. The conveyance that came forth was more than enough.

_One Chance._

**Two Days later**

Peppy hare sat in the back of a military transport shuttle with the rest of his family, Falco, Slippy, Miyu, and Fay, and even Katt had opted to come along, though she sat away from Falco, apparently, the two were arguing again or some such nonsense.

Falco of course, could not keep his beak shut. "I can't believe we're doing this, it's probably a trap, just like the one that almost killed Fox!" He huffed, crossing his wings over his chest.

"We don't know that Falco! And besides, if Peppy says it's on the level, I trust his judgment." It was Slippy who defended the old Hare.

"We don't abandon our family Fal-"

"Bullshit old man! She turned her back on us, almost got Fox and the rest of us killed! What in the name of whatever deity exists do you think I will **ever** trust her again!"

That turned the mood deadly quiet, and to everyone's shock, it was Katt who spoke next.

"Because if this is on the level as Peppy says. It means she's trying, whatever vicious bitch possessed Blue, is hopefully gone. We've given multiple chances to everyone in this room, barring Fay who is probably the most innocent among us."

"Hey!" The small canine barked back at the feline.

Uneasy chuckles filled the air, it lightens the mood slightly, but people were still on edge. They were expecting the worst, but hoping for the best.

Miyu offered her voice to the rest. "Do you really think she means it?"

Peppy gave a nod. "It was clear on her face, she realized her mistakes, I truly believe she wants to make right, for all she's done, Krystal at least deserves a chance to reconcile. Despite what some of you may think, she is still apart of us. The black sheep she maybe, but that doesn't mean we abandon those of our family who lost their way. We already did that once." Everyone's head turned to the floor, the uncomfortable truth already out in the air.

Even Falco couldn't argue with what Peppy said, he grumbled something under his breath and leaned back as the shuttle made its way to the Great Fox.

Krystal stood on the bridge, her Star Wolf uniform had been discarded and trashed. She never wanted to see that outfit ever again. Instead, she wore her old uniform from the Aparoid invasion. The sleek blue and black flight suit clung wonderfully to her curves. Her paws ran over her own body as she recalled the hungry stares Fox didn't think she noticed. How she would intentionally bend over in front of him on more than one occasion, or give him a glimpse down her top with the window into her chest. The little games they played, it made her sigh forlornly at the memories. She hoped to her gods that she would be able to create new ones with her family, and most of all, Fox.

The ship had alerted her to the shuttle in the docking bay atop Great Fox. Peppy had told her that through some work, he got everyone to come along. This was her chance, and even if they rejected it, she could at least say that she tried. The blue vixen paced back and forth, waiting as anxiety built, waiting for her family to come through the main door. Her tail lashed around; she was trying to keep herself calm and relaxed for this defining moment. She was failing.

The door opened with a soft hiss of the hydraulics and her eyes rose. The first through the door was Peppy, followed by Falco, Slippy and the rest of the gang. She took a slow deep breath as they all filled in. Each one looking at her with different emotions, ranging from accusatory to outright hostility. Katt, Slippy, and Peppy were the only ones approaching this openly, though she could sense Katt was on a knife edge, it wouldn't take much to piss off her once best friend.

"Well… we're all here." Peppy spoke quietly.

The ball was now in Krystal's court, she paced quietly, left and then right, all eyes on her. She had no speech prepared, no excuses. This was it, sink or swim, her staff was strapped across her back, threatening to fire off again if she dared waver an inch.

With a final deep breath, Krystal found her courage to speak.

"I want to start off by saying, thank you, for at least coming and hearing what I have to say. It took a lot for you all to even consider it. For that, I am ever grateful to you all. Even if we part ways from this as adversaries, or never to speak to each other again, I fully understand and will hold no grudge against any of you." With a pause she waited to see if anyone would respond, the room remained silent, all eyes still on her, she continued.

"I know I can never say I am sorry, or any words I speak will ever make up for what I have done. I betrayed everyone in this room. I turned my back on my family and those who loved me, for petty revenge and childish pride. I hurt the ones who loved me most, most importantly, I chased off the one man in our lives who united us and brought us together." She had begun to choke up but held it back as best she could, her eyes were closed, and head hung towards the floor with ears wilted and tail dangling limply between her legs. Both her gloved paws twitched nervously against each other. She, however, soldiered forward and rose her head, tears welling in her eyes.

"I chased away the man whose only crime was loving me and being the greatest hero any of us could ever know. I destroyed all that you worked for, what I did, is unforgivable. I don't expect to earn your forgiveness today, not with these words. That's why I wanted to tell all of you here, I'm leaving Lylat, and I'm going to look for Fox. I'm going to do my best to bring him home."

That got a reaction, everyone's eyes went wide, even Falco's beak hung open slightly. No one knew how to respond to that declaration, the fact she was doing a total 180 from what she once was.

"Even if he hates me, loathes me, as he should, I will still try. Because he tried to bring me back to the path of righteousness… and I denied him, denied everything we had, ignored all that each of us had shared in. For that, I beg you, grant me one last chance to redeem myself in your eyes."

Silence hung for what felt like an eternity. No one moved, no one breathed. Krystal cursed herself, how could she possibly think they would give her a chance, especially after all she had done. Her tears threatened to spill once more as her tail lay limp upon the floor. That was it. She had failed, no one would give her a chance, she should have known, what she did was irreconcilable.

However, a sound of boots tapping off the deck plating met her wilted ears. She dared not look up, to see who it was. At least, until a familiar pair of boots she recognized was at the top of her vision.

Krystal's head rose to gaze upon her former best friend; tears streamed down her cheeks as the feline stood before her. A look of anger and sorrow in her piercing blue eyes, Krystal watched in slow motion as her left paw reared back and with an open palm, slapped Krystal across the face. A loud yelp came forth. She knew that she deserved it, no retribution or complaints came forth.

"That was for hurting Fox." She spoke, as a second slap hit the other side of her face with the back of that same paw. "That's for betraying mine and everyone's trust."

"And this… this if for finally realizing what a stupid girl you've been, and finally came back to us." The felines arms wrapped around Krystal and pulled her in. Krystal was buried in emotion. She felt Katt genuinely hold her like she would comforting a sibling.

At that moment, Krystal broke down entirely. What she felt in Fox's quarters, was just the first half of what she needed. Once more, the dam burst, and it all came pouring out. Krystal's head buried into Katt's neck as she wept openly and powerfully as she clutched the Pink feline as tightly as she could, using her as a rock to keep herself stable and prevent her falling into a dark pit of grief.

"Shhh… it's okay Krystal… Enough of that, you're a strong vixen." Katt spoke encouragingly.

Others began to move in closer, Peppy and Slip were the first ones, coming to stand by her side and offer the telepathic vixen comfort. Miyu and Fay followed suit not long after, knowing their wayward friend and "sibling" was doing her best now. She had a long way to go, they all knew it, but all the effort she put in, it was a sign of her dedication; they would give her a chance.

Falco was the last, he stood with both wings crossed, Katt was her best friend, almost like a sister, but Falco was like the big brother of the team, the only people's words who mattered more than his, were Fox and Peppy.

She hoped, she prayed the bluebird would give her the opportunity, and with a loud **"bah** " he threw his wings up in typical Falco fashion. "I'm not good at all this emotional crap! At Least you had the damn good sense to come around, even if it took you an age. You get your chance Krystal, but you screw this up, so help me, I'll shoot you down!" It was a joke, they all knew it, it was just how Falco behaved.

Krystal gave a nod to each of them. "Thank you, all of you. I don't deserve this."

Katt gave her a gentle pat on her stinging cheek. "No, you don't, but that's why we're a family girl, even when we screw up big time, we don't turn our backs on em'. I just wish we hadn't left Fox alone. Him departing was partially our fault as much as yours."

That caught Krystal by surprise. "What?"

Katt nodded in affirmation. "We all went our separate ways after it fell apart. We left Fox here, by himself. That's on us; we should have been there for him just like he was for all of us."

Everyone nodded, even Falco agreed.

"What's your plan Blue?" Miyu spoke up, curious as to how the vixen was going to try their estranged leader.

"Well, I'm heading back to Star Wolf and tie up all my loose ends there, get my stuff, and then I'm off."

"And Panther?" Katt said with a raised eyebrow.

"Done with him, as much as I am awful for using him as I did, his mind is a place I would very much rather forget."

Katt let out a sigh of relief. "Okay, your good sense has returned. You know he's not going to take that well, right?"

The cobalt vixen sighed. "Yea, I know, but Wolf and Leon, ass holes they might be, they aren't bad, Wolf will back me up, Leon will go along with pretty much whatever Wolf says."

"Just be careful Krystal, Panther is not Fox, and if I know his psyche profile, as well as I, think I do, Panther might do something stupid or try to hurt you." Peppy always had sage advice, it was something she already didn't know, but it was the simple fact Peppy even said it, it was a sure fire sign of care.

"Right, well, I am Sorry for not wanting to stay around, but I have things to do and a Fox to find."

"Where will you start?" This time it was Fay.

Krystal took a deep breath; she knew Peppy would not like that part of her plan. Because only Fox, Peppy and herself knew the power of the Krazoa, and you needed to be pure of heart to deal with them.

"The Krazoa on Sauria."

Immediately Peppy's eyes went wide. "Krystal! No, you can't!"

Peppy's sudden outburst made everyone but the cobalt vixen jump.

"Uhh, Pep? Wanna tell us what's up?" Falco chimed in.

"When Fox interacted with the Krazo on Sauria, he did so successfully and, I know this is going to sound insane or absurd given his career and everything. It was because he was pure of heart, just like how they kept Krystal alive in that diamond, buying Fox time to free her."

Falco shook his head. "Okay, let's say all this nonsense is real, what happens to Krystal?"

"Best case, they'll just send her away or not interact with her at all. Worst case, given how she's tied to them, they'll kill her."

Everyone's eyes turned to Krystal. "It's true, I am willing to risk my life to find Fox, and the Krazoa are the only ones who might have an idea of where he is, all the databanks here have been scrubbed. Before anyone asks, yes, he is worth it."

It was clear dissuading her from that course of action was not going to happen. Peppy sighed.

_Just as stubborn as Fox._

"Alright, Krystal… then, I hope for the best. Send us a message when you get back from Sauria." Krystal nodded her head, signifying she understood before she gave each member of the old team a firm hug. Even Falco got one to which in an uncharacteristic moment, he returned with full force. "You take care of yourself Blue, and bring Foxy boy back. He owes me beer money." Both shared a chuckle and nodded. As she departed the bridge, she could feel everyone's thoughts, some were still dubious, but they were happy to see her again as her old self, and not who she had become.

Krystal had a new purpose now, or rather, an old one reborn. But before she could, she needed to deal with Star Wolf and Panther.

"Oh what fun that's going to be." A sigh of exasperation left her, she powered the bird on and took off into the dark of space. Her heading set for Star Wolf's base on Corneria.


	3. Preparations

In the lounge of Star Wolf HQ, Wolf O'Donnell sat reading the local newspaper. His duster hung up over his chair as he flipped through pages. Sure, folks preferred their fancy computers and such, but there was something about the feel of real paper that always appealed to him. It was one of those weird quirks some people picked up through life. He was reading an article about the most prolonged period of peace in Lylat, given relatively recent events with one invasion after another. A faint grimace tugged at the side of his long lupine snout, he personally hated the so-called peace, jobs were scarce, but because they were the faces of Corneria, they had a steady paycheck that came in bi-weekly. There was no need for merc's, but he still had to take care of his team, and take care of them he did. Leon got the necessary surgery done to restore his vocal chords and got psychiatric help from all the bangs on the head he had received courtesy of their old rivals. Leon was almost like himself during the Lylat Wars.

Panther was his usual idiotic self, a decent pilot, but his arrogance was grating, as was his "relationship" with Krystal. That thought alone made Wolf want to vomit. What that girl saw in that buffoon, he would never understand. The fact of the matter was, he was bored, the paycheck was high, the publicity helped, not to mention he was swimming in more pussy than he could ever dream of. Cornerian dogs were just too easy to get their panties down around their ankles, and that annoyed him greatly. There was little to no effort in the hunt or chase for him anymore. Wolf had gained an understanding of why McCloud had hated being a hero. People swamped him, always wanting to talk to him and thank him, when he just wanted to go down to the corner store and get a goddamn sandwich, then enjoy it without someone pestering him. Oddly, it was the kids who were far more respectful, and Wolf had to admit to himself, signing autographs for kids was kind of fun, just seeing those innocent faces yet to be tainted by the real world, thinking life was so simple. Other than that, he hated being the hero, part of him wanted to give it all up and go be a pirate. The money was good though, and it was hard to argue when you had more than six zeroes in your account.

"Still fucking sucks being the hero." He sighed roughly, taking a sip of his Papetoonian whiskey.

The one other teammate he had some actual concerns for, was off taking care of Fox's old ship. His grimace turned to a frown, letting her join the team to spite Fox was a mistake for everyone involved, she had been emotionally unstable and filled with so much anger. He should have known what was coming. Krystal's hate-fueled passion had led to their success, but he still remembered the hollow victory himself, and Krystal felt at cheating Fox, they had not defeated him outright through the skill of arms, they had done so in a cowardly fashion, using Foxs' heart against him. Krystal had been their secret weapon, and Wolf hated himself for using her as such. Not because the results didn't speak for itself, but he had no one to compete with now, the CAG pukes were too scared of him, and not a lick of them had the skill McCloud did. Any of his old pirate rivals either retired or screwed off when he became the "Lap Dog" of Corneria." The burly wolf laid the paper out with a sigh, squeezing the corners of his eyes between the bridge of his nose.

"This shit isn't worth it."

Suddenly, Wolf's ears perked up as he heard the distinct whine of the Cloudrunner landing on the pad outside, with paper folded he went to meet her. With his duster put on and paws in his pockets, he met Krystal right at the door. She jumped a bit; ears perked, she watched as Wolf gave her that unnerving smile, one that quickly faded away as his brow knit, the girl looked haggard, stressed, he could smell it. She hadn't showered in a day or so from the look of things. Even though Wolf was known far and wide as a hardass, he did give a damn about his teams well being. The grey canine saw the look in her eyes, that same look he saw in his own these days. Regret and the grizzled lupine knew **precisely** what it was for. His ordinarily harsh gaze became softened.

"Finally caught up to you did it?" He said quietly.

Krystal was taken aback. Wolf was the last one to expect any empathy out of, at least, showing it directly. She wouldn't lie, lies had got her here in the first place, lies, and pride. "Yea, it did."

"Goin' after him?"

Again, she nodded. "Yes, Wolf, what we… what I did was-"

"A complete bitch of a move that got us pure victory and a place as premiere heroes of the system." It was spoken in such a demeaning tone, not towards her, but at both of them. "An' I fuckin hate it." He growled. "I wish I'd never brought you on board, I saw it a mile away."

Krystal winced, Wolf had a right to be angry. After all, who could challenge him? She was the only one on his level, and they were on the same team.

"But that was my mistake. I should have let you cool your jets before encouraging you. That was bad leadership on my part."

Wolf was full of surprises today it seemed.

"I… No, it was my-"

"Can it blue, mistakes were made all across the board, now you're trying to make up for it yea?"

She was silently wondering when her soon to be former team lead became a telepath.

"Good on you, it's a mistake we both have regrets over."

Krystal took a deep breath. "Thank you for understanding. I know Panther isn't going to be so easy to deal with."

"Want some backup with him? I've been looking for a reason to can his ass. An' if he gets violent, gives me a perfect excuse."

"I'm not sure I want to cost someone else their job." She replied.

"Consider it insurance, if he gets stupid, either you or I can kick his ass, maybe both. You two being together has made me an' Leon want to vomit since the start of it all."

That made her arch an eyebrow. "Didn't know you really cared about it."

"Blue, I might be blind in one eye, I might be an opportunistic shit bag at times, but even I know a fuckstick when I see one. An' Panther is one of the biggest ones in the system, you an' McCloud, shit, you two were good together, gave me some of the best fights of my life. I've been bored outta my noggin' without a good rival to fight. You an' Panther bein' together was like oil an' water, or diet soda with a huge ass fattening burger. Doesn't make any sense."

Krystal couldn't help but smile a little. "Thanks, Wolf, I'm surprised you're supportive of this though."

The pair had begun to walk into the headquarters, making her room.

"I would be lyin' to myself if I didn't admit I missed the little shit. Fox was the yin to my yang y'know? Always had some new trick against me and helped me learn. Now that he's gone, well, had time to think. Didn't realize how much the little fucker complimented me."

Krystal couldn't help but let a little smile. "Almost sounds like you're in love."

Both knew it was a tease, one that got his hackles up. "Wish I could crush that rumor, seriously, I've had a rotating door on my room since we won the war with how many women come in and out."

"Double entendre there." Krystal chuckled. "I understand though, you two have been locked in a battle for ages trying to see who's the best. With no one to test your might against, it's boring."

"See, you understand, Leon sort of does, Panther doesn't have a fucking clue."

"Speaking of Panther." She sighed.

"He in there?"

"Of course he is, where else would he be? He's only been after my ass since he met me." She muttered angrily. She wasn't scared of Panther in the slightest. She just wished one of her biggest mistakes was going to be easier to handle. She knew the truth of the man, but he had a way with words sometimes, he was manipulative, and she had fallen under his charm for a while. Telepathic or no, someone who spoke the right words was hard to resist, she was glad there was enough sense in her head not to give him all of herself.

"I would say I'm rubbin' off on you, but that would be in bad taste."

"Rather it be you than the thought of him," Krystal admitted with a shiver of disgust ran up her spine at both prospects.

"Yea, no, sorry Blue, you're not my type." He chuckles.

"Right, not airy headed or fake enough tits?"

Wolf gave her a shrug and smirked. "More of I kinda see you as a weird ass sister, an' you don't put your dick in family. Anyways, I'll be out here; you get into too much trouble, just yell an' I'll kick the door in."

Krystal took a deep breath, the door slid up, and she entered.

Inside was a rather spartan room, a bed, a holovid set, a radio and some posters she'd picked up here and there. A simple wooden desk with her computer on it and behind it, a whole bunch of notes and such, back when she was pissed off at Fox and plotting ways to get back at him like some sort of horrible cartoonish villain.

_Gods… what was wrong with me then?_

Of course, her greatest mistake besides chasing off McCloud and ruining both their lives was sitting on her bed. Though the panther in question was handsome, broad of shoulder and quite physically impressive, it was his mind that was such a turn off for her, that same mind was rife with thoughts she would instead not think about. Most if not all, directed at her. Such attention usually would not be unwelcome, but where Fox's thoughts on her had been full of adoration, love, albeit fearful, the handsome vulpine had been full of warmth and care; Panther's mind was lustful, wanting, roguish. At one time, it had its appeal, she was grateful, however, that her mind and body knew better than she did. It was why the cat could never really get her worked up. It was natures way of intervening with an inferior mate, telling her they were incompatible. The words were there, just the intent and actual meaning behind them was not.

"Ah, there you are my rose." Not long ago, she would have enjoyed that endearment; now, it only served to make her cringe. Rather than put it off or make it any more awkward, it was time to treat it like a bandage and rip it off quick.

"I'm not your rose Panther. I haven't been for some time. I've just been too stupid and shallow to realize it. I used you, and that was it, no more, no less." With those words, she saw his mind light up with anger. His eyes narrowed and glared at her with death in them. It was just as she expected, and Peppy was spot on. She did not regret her words, but she had came prepared.

"You are leaving Panther?"

_Ugh, Gods, what did I ever see in this fool? Who in the bloody hells talks in the third person?!_

"Yes, Panther, it's over. I highly recommend you not try anything," she stated calmly, keeping her composure. She did, however, gesture to her temple, indicating something that he never really caught on with, and that was her telepathy. She could read him far easier than Wolf or Leon. She watched the large black cats tail lash in agitation, and just as she felt him about to spring, the door slid open, and there was Wolf with his blaster drawn.

"Back down pussycat, before you get burned." His one good eye narrowed at Panther, the feline had his claws ready.

"W-what?! Boss, she's leaving!" He declared.

"Yea, I know, and so are you. Rule number one, we don't attack each other Panther. Pack your shit and get out before I send you out in a body bag." His finger was pressed down on the trigger, ready to go. His teeth were bared while he glared at the feline, begging for a reason to pull the trigger. When Wolf had heard the sudden silence, he'd been tipped off things were about to go south. Rather than risk someone he actually respected getting harmed, he ordained to intervene early.

"But Wolf, I am your f-"

"Bap, Bap… no, you're not. You've been a teammate, that's it. A pain in my ass as well, now, last warning. No more words, get your shit and get out."

The feline, seeing two against one, one of which was a telepath, and while he was as dense as a fencepost, he knew when not to press his luck. The large black cat stormed out past Wolf with a growl in his throat.

Krystal was relieved. "Thanks, I owe you for that. Not that wouldn't have minded giving him a proper arse beating."

"Nah, we're even, get your things packed and I'll see you to your ship. Besides, he's not worth the energy. I got Leon watching over your Cloudrunner to make sure the idiot doesn't try to sneak aboard or sabotage the damn thing."

"You're taking this awfully well Wolf." She commented, packing her gear and equipment, ensuring only to pick up the essentials.

"As I said, I miss the little orange fucker, fighting the two of you was a hoot. Besides, I think Leon an' I can hold down the fort while you're out, mostly just pirates and some flunkies off of Venom causing trouble these days."

"Regardless, thank you, I know I caused some problems for the team myself, but-."

"Crimeny girl, stop trying to thank me and get your blue ass goin'. Longer you sit here yammerin' at me, the longer it's gonna take you to bring that dumbass back."

Krystal couldn't help but smile. If there was one thing about Wolf she appreciated, it was his forthright nature. "Right." There was only one thing left, something she kept secret from the rest of her team. Krystal reached beneath her desk and peeled a photo she had taped to the underside. It was a picture of herself and Fox. The two looked so pleased with that bright the glint in his eyes, tainted by fear, but full of love no less. It was of one of their dates to Sauria, Cape Claw specifically. Fox was in a pair of shorts, and she had decided to go "native" as it were.

"Hah, friggin knew it. You still loved him despite all the shit." He snorted.

"I just wish I realized it sooner." She said with a sigh.

"Yea, the hearts a mean bitch sometimes, doesn't always do what's right. What does matter though, is you're tryin' to make right. S'all that counts." The two left her quarters and made their way towards the landing pad where her ship waited. "For what it's worth, I know what it's like to be in your position. Don't go tellin' everyone, but I know what it means to be in love, and it sucks to lose it, sucks real hard."

"You? In love? I thought the only thing you loved was getting shite canned by Fox, and Papetoonian Whisky." Krystal said with a smirk.

"Yea, and you see me weep every time I empty the last bottle?" Both shared in laughter as Leon watched on from his concealed position on their approach, only to emerge from the shadows as they stood next to the Cloudrunner, the hull done up in Star Wolf colors.

"Hate to sound like a bitch, but I am not going to miss this team. It's been the wrong outfit for me for some time."

"Agreed Krystal, you never were really one of us, but your assistance was welcomed." Leon nodded, reaching into his pocket and pulled out a specialized blaster, handing it towards her grip first. His voice was such a far cry from what it was during the Aparoid invasion or during the Blitz, smooth, sophisticated, not like Panther, more genuine. The chameleon did still manage to creep her out a bit. The vixen having never truly become used to being in his presence. "Here, take this, it's a custom job, but just about any energy cell will work with it."

It was a heavy blaster, an elongated barrel reminiscent of old-style slug throwers, done in gun-metal grey with her name engraved along the barrel in flowing Cornerian script. Krystal examined the pistol closely, it certainly had some weight to it, what little recoil there was would be offset by that. It was a very well crafted piece of weaponry. She was glad to have it, with her going out into the black, having the power of such weapons would be a boon. Heavy blasters were known to drop one of the big Aparoid bastards in a couple of shots, hell. They could even kill some of the more heavily armored Anglar troopers in one or two shots.

"Thanks, Leon, I appreciate it." With a deft sigh, she climbed up to the edge of the Cloudrunners cockpit. "Well, this is goodbye I suppose, for now at least. I'll catch you two around."

"Just give Fox a kick in the ass for me when you find him, alright Blue?" The cobalt vixen gave Wolf a nod and climbed fully inside. With a hiss, the canopy came down, and the other two members of Star Wolf went back inside. The thrusters kicked on, allowing her to hover for a moment before taking off into the atmosphere, the plasma engine roaring as contrails fell behind the gull-shaped wings. When she cleared orbit, and into space proper, the micro-jump drive kicked on and sent the vixen on her way.

_I really hope this works._

Within a few hours of her jump, she arrived and quickly descended into the atmosphere of Sauria. The vixen made use of her navigation computer to visit at the ancient Krazoa palace. The towering structure was nestled up high in the mountains, the very peak it rested on was one of the highest points of the world. It was incredibly hard to miss, even when there was one of its frequent storms raging. Krystal maneuvered the craft until it landed on the very spot where she and McCloud had first locked eyes, memories once more echoed in her mind. A broad sense of loss and pain welled up inside her, her heart ached, and a gentle whimper of sorrow left her. With a burdened sigh, she repressed the intense emotions within, the vixen had done enough weeping and crying these last few days, she needed to dedicate herself; for she was about to face one of her most significant challenges yet. The canopies hydraulics lifted up and allowed her out; rain swept the top of the palace, thunder and lightning arced across the skies as she wandered the top. Her eyes grazed over the vast pit where she nearly fell to an early grave, the very same place where he had saved her, where they had locked eyes and it felt like their future together was all but inevitable.

She silenced her memories once more, not wanting them to conflate with her already aching heart. Krystal had come here with a purpose. She knew not how to summon the Krazoa. They usually came to whoever they wanted to speak to. Her ears pricked up as the wind abruptly came to a halt, the rain froze quite literally in place, it was as if someone had hit a pause button, yet she was still able to move.

One by one the purple luminescent spirits of the Krazoa emerged from the statues scattered about the roof their unknown alien heads and tendrils extended out behind them as they floated with ease upon the air. Her heart thundered in her chest, anxiety was rife, and she was fearful. The Krazoa would easily be able to pick up such things from her, even if they didn't read her thoughts. They swiftly began to circle her, spinning lightly until all fell into place, she was surrounded. From what she could sense of the spirits, Krystal knew she was about to be put through the ringer, a trial. Her tail flicked in agitation, long sweeps of her rain-soaked appendage flicked water and frozen droplets alike.

 _Child of Cerinia, you are either bold, desperate, or very foolish to return to this place after what you have done._ The voices spoke in a chorus, no one spirit spoke to her, and it all reverberated within her mind.

Krystal did not flinch, and she had no intention of backing down now. She was fully committed to her course. _I know what I have done, and that is precisely why I have come here, I seek to reunite with the one that I love, the one who showed me that my life was not over, so that we might be together again._

 _Truly?_ Came their reply; _After you betrayed him, destroyed the ones who called you family and nearly cost him his life? After all he had done for us, for_ _ **you**_ _?_ _Your childish behavior almost damned an entire bloodline to be lost. Now you beg us for help? We saved your life, dear Krystal. Preserved you that you might live and have a second chance. We knew of Fox's capacity for good and that the two of you who have lost so much, gained so little; that you two would make each other happy even if it took time for your love to truly blossom.  
_

The voices spoke with pity, sorrow. It hurt far more than any word spoken in anger ever could.

_In your impatience, your pride, you burned him completely, instead of acting like a daughter of Cerinia, you acted like an entitled child. Your heart is no longer pure like it once was, a shining star in the dark of this system, much like his. I am afraid Krystal, we must decline your call for aid, you have made your mistakes and must live with them. You have forgotten who you are and where you came from, there is nothing we would do to aid one such as you.  
_

Krystal felt her blood run cold. The Krazoa were refusing her! She knew that she was tainted with darkness for her actions. In her desperation she began to plead with them, anything she could to get them to help.

_Wait! Please! I beg you, help me bring him home, I don't care if I wind up with or without him, he doesn't deserve what I did to him, or whatever life he's living now!_

One spirit slowly turned to face her, listlessly flying towards her and came to rest in front of her snout those glowing purple eyes shone brightly in the frozen world.

_You should have thought of that before you crushed him. You believe that you did not succeed where the one called Andross failed? No young Krystal, you very much succeeded, the one called Fox McCloud is a broken, shattered soul, what he has become, you are not ready to face. Nor will you ever be ready we think, you do not truly comprehend the consequences of your actions. You are best returning to Star Wolf and being with the individual known as Panther.  
_

That was a slap in the face, she had just thrown that life away, her hackles rose up, and her eyes became wild with anger as the spirits began to wander away from the fallen warrior.

"No!" She shouted physically, the rest of the Krazoa spirits whirled to gaze upon her, she could feel their ire directed towards her. "I will not go back to that life. I don't want that life; I want him, I want to be with my family again, I want to protect the weak and innocent like I was always meant to. If I have to face my consequences then so be it. Please, please, help me." Her voice was heartfelt and true, and she meant every word of it.

The spirit that hovered before her, its face became forlorn as it spoke to her mind. _I am sorry child, but, only your faith can deliver you now._ And just like that, each of the Krazoa spirits vanished, the wind howled once again, and rain fell all around her as time resumed. Krystal roared in desperation, anger, frustration, and anxiety as she dropped to her knees, her cry was said to be heard all the way down in Thorntail Hollow. Her one lifeline, gone, she would have to search for Fox the hard way. In her moment of weakness, her soul burned brighter than it ever had before; Krystal would not, could fail again. Like a phoenix of legend, she rose from the ashes of her life, the one that she created with a fiery determination in her eyes. It was a gaze that the vixen once had daily and put to use for the cause of justice and peace. She knew now, more than ever, she needed to find Fox. Whether they got back together did not factor in. All she wanted to do, was find him, tell him how she felt and bring him home. Whatever came after that, was up to him. Krystal didn't care how long it would take her. She would hunt for the rest of her days if need be to bring him home. Even if he was a body by the time she found him, she would bring him back all the same.

"I swear! I will bring him back! If you won't help me, then so be it!"

Without a moment's hesitation, she made her way back to the Cloudrunner and climbed inside, taking off and warping to Corneria.

**Six hours later**

Krystal stood before her newly painted Cloudrunner, back to the old blue and white it had once been. Her ship was stocked with provisions, and she had enough small arms and ammo to wage a small war. Peppy had been hard at work while she had been away and in such a short time. The hare knew how to get the job done. Krystal knew she was ready, for possibly one of the most painstaking adventures of her life, no guarantee of success, not a single shred of hope that Fox would accept her back into his life. Still, in her heart, she knew that to abandon him utterly would damn them both.

 _I won't give up again, I gave up before Fox, but I swear to you. I won't let you down a second time. Please, just be safe… I love you, and I miss you so much._ She clutched the aquamarine gem that dangled from her necklace. Eyes closed tightly, some part of her wished that he could hear her. Hoping that he would know she was coming to get him. Final farewells were made, and Krystal made her last preps, circling the giant orbital gate before the tremendous shimmering green circle opened, her destination one of the closest systems to Lylat. Krystal would start her search there. This was her mission. The others had jobs and other factors into their lives. She was on her own.

A single message from the gate crew, the team, and Peppy himself popped up on her ships communication display.

_Good Luck, Krystal._

With that final message, she hit the engines and vanished through the gate on her greatest journey yet, fire and warmth in her heart, and a steely-eyed determination in her eyes.


	4. Consolidation

As she careened towards the Indoshan system via hyperspace, Krystal was planning her next steps. The vixen wanted to ensure she would not be left aimless should the search turn up nothing. With a power bar in snout, she chewed on it slightly while gazing over the galactic map. Her appearance was a far cry from what she had upon departing Lylat. The vulpines short blue hair had grown out, long luxurious locks now reached all the way down to the small of her back. Much like her fur coat, both still toted that lustrous sheen. Her eyes, though travel weary, still held onto that abundant energy. A pair of faded green pants, white flight boots and a tan jacket that zipped up the middle. The tan jacket concealed a black shirt. At the ends of her wrists were red fingerless gloves. She was the opposite of what most people thought of long-distance space travel, especially in such a small craft. Images of herself clothed in disheveled clothing combined with the stink of body odor made her chuckle. Thankfully, in her time out in the black, she had done some upgrades to make extended stays within the Cloudrunner comfortable. When the day came, and she found Fox, Krystal wanted to be presentable.

For six long lonely months, Krystal had searched out in the void of space. She overturned every rock and followed every lead she could find. The vixen always found the trail leading to nothing. There was no sign of Fox, no word of him, and not a single shred of evidence he'd been anywhere near where the search had taken her. Kew, Zalae, Baofar, all devoid of any signs of him. All the leads were either fraudulent or so cold that Fichina would have been tropical by comparison.

She had tried almost every major system near Lylat, and there was only one left; one final place she could look before having to search systems that were farther out. She prayed Fox had not gone that far. Such distance would decrease her chances from slim to almost none at all. For the time she had been outside Lylat, Krystal had been with no one but herself, rarely interacting with people save for those who might have information. Those moments had often been hostile for reasons unknown to her, but she had theories. Every day she thought about her actions. The vixen berated herself for how foolish and selfish she had been; she made promises on how she would make it up to Fox, from innocent, heartfelt actions to the more amorous ones. It was more about keeping her mind on the goal than anything else. Krystal did not know what she would do once she found Fox. In all likelihood; it would be an intensely awkward situation filled with tears and apologies. She hoped that a continuation of their romance would follow reconciliation.

Krystal sighed as she stared out the window into the swirling void of hyperspace. In her heart, she knew the chances of a truly happy ending was virtually nonexistent. Who in their right mind would take her back after what she did? The only sensible thing she had done in that entire time was not sleeping with her now ex-boyfriend. She was still pure in that regard. It meant if Fox would have her she could honestly be his, and no other male would ever have that claim.

_I'm deluding myself though. If he decides actually to take me back, I'll consider it a sign of the divine. Speaking of,  
_

Krystal headed toward the third planet of the Indosha system. Much like her lost homeworld, the world was a profoundly spiritual one, sparsely populated with a few city centers that held things for commerce, culture, sciences and the like. The Indoshans were a private people, but rarely did they judge others; they welcomed trade and outsiders so long as their laws and ways were left intact.

The shot that Fox might be on Indoshan was a long one, hell, the thought that Fox even came near a spiritual world was even longer; although, often in times of crisis, people would turn to things they usually never would have before. The vixen's eyes were drawn forward as the warp lane brought her out. The blue swirls of altered space dissipated around her vessel as she came to just the edge of the system. At the center was Indoshan's blazing dwarf star, surrounded by a scant few planets and moons. Most were uninhabitable rocks that were mined for resources and little else. Only one planet was habitable in the entire system, Indoshan III itself, and its moon bore a lunar colony and starbase around it for the defense of their homeworld. It was incredibly difficult for invaders to bypass and go right for the planet. She pulled up a readout of Indoshan III, her breath stolen by what graced her aquamarine eyes. It was quite a sight to behold, featuring brilliant emerald islands and continents amidst seas of blue. Indoshan III was a tropical world much like her home had once been, with beautiful sapphire oceans, and mountains capped in white that pierced the very heavens themselves, covered in evergreen forests. She envied the Indoshans for having such a beautiful world. Corneria had its charm but was still a bit much, far too many people packed into small areas and too many minds. She preferred a quieter world or at least a place where she could focus and tune things out. The planet before her certainly seemed to fit that bill.

_This might be a pleasant experience. I could use a break.  
_

The Cloudrunner would take a few hours to reach the planet, so with the time she had, Krystal studied up on local customs, laws and other information available from her ships database. The cobalt vixen prayed in silence that there was something, anything on Indoshan III which would lead her to the man she desired to see. Pretty planet or not, the cerulean vixen wanted to find Fox more than anything else. Krystal knew she couldn't handle much more of her current state. She was utterly alone, with no friends to talk to or comfort her. An ever-increasing doubt built up in her mind from the lack of success. Her mind was slowly gnawing at her, doubts creeping in. With Star Wolf, there was at least a modicum of comfort about being around a team. Even their company had not been enough, Krystal never felt like she belonged with them. The powerful sense of loss and empty companionship had been ignored and hidden behind an immense wall of animosity towards Fox. It came back to bite her in a big way, canines and canids were intensely social creatures. For a Cerinian, it was doubly so, if only for the fact of being a telepath. Cerinians could survive without others for extended periods, but it did worlds for their mental health to have people around whose minds were welcoming and warm. Wolf's team was anything but that; all of their minds were cold as ice, save for Panthers. That was a disgust she would rather forget all about. Krystal had let her anger and hatred for Fox blind her. She pushed him ever further away every time he tried to make up for it. Krystal had realized all too late that his efforts were genuine attempts at making things right, and the cobalt vixen had denied him at every turn. She rejected him, and all in the name of revenge.

The sensation of being isolated had been growing. It slowly filled her mind over the period of six months, ever increasing in potency. With each trail that led nowhere, Krystal felt remote, separated from the galaxy at large. She had hardly any information at her fingertips and was flying blind. The feeling of dismay constantly gnawed at her, and her doubts and fears played havoc with her mind almost every single night. Upon waking, she felt cold; the burning might of her soul felt like embers now, only ash and coals remained. That worried her greatly. She heard stories of Cerinians who became isolated, and subsequently felt abandoned and forsaken. They had gone on to become monsters, puppets to the whim of their desires and self-loathing. It was a fate she almost led herself into and indeed had for a time. Only when she had witnessed the desolation her actions caused had Krystal been jarred from that path.

The growing issue was that the cerulean vixen knew she was sinking back towards that pit. Krystal feared that this time there would be no saving her if she relapsed into that hateful, vengeful persona. It was that very reason why she had saved Indoshan III for last. It was her final desperate gambit. Some would call it instincts, others intuition. Perhaps it was even her psionics. Whatever it was, something was guiding her towards the planet.

Her conscious mind would not let her go so smoothly. Despair and hope filled her thoughts in equal measure; was she strong enough? Was Fox still alive? She tried to reassure herself.

_He has to be, I know he is, he's too strong and stubborn to die._

The problem was his strength of personal character. He was always reserved and cautious. Though their romance had not fully bloomed, Fox had opened up to her in ways no one could have imagined; in repayment, she crushed him. The todd was not a fickle soul, she knew that, but he loved deeply. He cared on a level that most people could not or would not understand. She knew it had to shatter him to have such love thrown back in his face, to be utterly destroyed by the one he had trusted with his most intimate secrets. Krystal closed her eyes as she clenched the flight stick as her Cloudrunner moved deeper into the system on autopilot. The Krazoa were right. She had hurt him in an unfathomably profound way. It would take a miracle and what remained of her love to even get Fox to listen, even more so if they were going to be a happy couple by the end of it. With a shaky breath, Krystal calmed her chaotic mind. Her objective was in sight, and if she was to succeed, the vixen knew she needed to be focused.

The Cloudrunner approached the edge of Indoshan space and hailed a nearby comms beacon. Her identification codes and information were transmitted to the Indoshan Space Authority. It took several minutes before her comms lit up with a response. It was a simple automated message, one that offered her greeting along with a contract that stipulated she was under Indoshan law during her visit. Krystal let her eyes read over the agreement and found nothing to be amiss, so with a touch to the screen; she confirmed acceptance. A few moments later her docking fees for the week and landing coordinates were put on display.

**Thirty Minutes Later**

Krystal docked at Indoshan's Shenge Spaceport. The skies were nowhere near as busy as she expected it to be. They were oddly clear, and the pattern for landing was quite empty.

_Might be an offseason? Perhaps a holiday of some kind?_

The cerulean vixen dismissed the thought as a ladder was pushed up to the side of her craft. The canopy lifted on its hydraulics with a hiss. She could hear welding, conversations and heavy machine work in the distance. The smell of oils, fuels, and other various aromas filled the air. Krystal grabbed her pack of clothes and back strap for her staff before exiting her craft. Waiting for her down at the bottom was a medium height rabbit of red and white fur colorations. He wore an official green uniform with black combat boots and gloves and carried a clipboard in hand. At first, Krystal thought she might be in danger, but the badge on his chest, judging from the language, indicated he was the dock master. She stepped down the final rungs of the ladder and stood before the Lapine.

"If you could sign here Miss Krystal?" His voice was incredibly foreign, a tinge of a sharp accent but his tone was respectful with an underlying kindness. She looked at it, and it was translated well into the common tongue. It was a simple secondary agreement that if any legal problems arose, she would have access to the justice system and full representation.

The vixen blinked. "Have I done something wrong Mister…?"

The Lapine blinked in confusion before he gawked at his social faux pas. "Oh by the divines! Forgive my rudeness! My name is Usagi." His body bent half way at the waist with ears laid back in apology.

_Well, at least body language carries over the cultural divide._

Well armed with the knowledge of their culture, Krystal met him at the same level to indicate her respect. With apologies made, the rabbit continued.

"To answer your question, Ma'am, you've done nothing wrong, but we were doing background checks on you to ensure you were who you say you are, and given your reputation, should anything happen here, we would want to help you to the best of our abilities."

That statement caught Krystal off guard. "You've heard of me, I mean, before all this?"

It was the rabbit's time to smile. "Of course! Who hasn't heard of Star Fox?! I mean, even before you joined, their reputation was known far and wide, heroes of the stars, they're the ones that brought the Venomian empire to its knees and let the systems out here take the fight to Andross's filth! Hostilities only ended a few years ago, what with all the pirates and vagabonds who fled and used their old fleets to prey upon the weak."

Krystal was taken aback. She had no idea their popularity was this far spread! "I assume you know of the events during the Anglar War?"

The rabbit's face promptly turned into a frown. "Everyone does, but we do not judge prematurely here on Indoshan, that is for the courts and divines to do."

The cerulean vixen had to admit that his kindness and forward nature was refreshing. "I suppose that would explain why everywhere else I've gone it's been hostile and not too friendly."

"That it would Miss, but anyways, your signature?"

Krystal smiled softly. "Of course, my apologies." With a quick work of her paw and pen, she signed her name, and the rabbit bowed. "Thank you very much, Miss Krystal, welcome to Indoshan, enjoy your stay." He said with a friendly bow, Krystal once more answering him in kind before the red and white hare bound off to his next destination.

"Well, that wasn't nearly as awful as I was expecting… I should check into a hotel and then maybe speak with some of the locals, see if anyone has information."

That was her basic plan every time she made planetfall. Her thick blue tail dipped in white swayed behind her as she walked. The vixen took in the sights around her while making her way out of the spaceport. The vixen suddenly realized just how vast the area from the spaceport to the city was. She needed to arrange for transportation to the central hub.

"Well… shite."

Krystal gazed about, attempting to find an office or something of the sort that would allow her to arrange for transportation. The cobalt vixen's eyes spotted something quite curious; a strange female mammal stood out in the open, baring brown triangular markings just below her eyes that ended with a sharp tip. Her fur was blazing red with brown "gloves" at the end of her hands, and a positively massive tail that was easily rivaling hers in fluff to muscle ratio. It was similar to a raccoon, but not quite the same. The outfit the woman wore was something local, unlike anything she had ever seen. It was white with sleeves down to the wrist and had a bright red skirt that covered her legs entirely. The woman held up a simple white sign with her name on it.

_Bloody hells, seems someone is eager to see me. I suppose that takes care of the transportation issue then._

The blue vixen strode towards the woman, bowing in greeting to her to which the female returned politely.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Krystal, I am Mianikai." Her accent was the same as the rabbit's, though far more melodious than the lapines. The woman's mind was a blazing beacon of hope and joy. Very kind and filled with a genuine welcome. With how bright it radiated, it was almost dizzying to the vixen.

Krystal got her bearings, and she was far from used to people addressing her so formally, let alone seeing people with presences as bright as Mianikai's. Corneria lacked a great deal of spirituality and faith, even if science came close to a religion for them. In her eyes, it left the Cornerians and Lylatians as a whole missing something.

The blue vixen smiled as the pair righted in unison. The woman was well taken care of and quite endowed in the looks department. The females fur, much like her shiny coat, was well maintained. "Thank you Mianikai. It is likewise a pleasure. I assume from you standing here, that I am expected somewhere?"

"You would be correct!" The woman beamed. "The divines spoke of your coming, the High Priest instructed the temple I serve to assist you in whatever capacity, food, lodging, and anything else you can think of," the girl stated matter of factly.

Krystal blinked. "Wait, the divines, as in, your gods?"

"Mhmm!"

"They actually communicate with you?"

"Yes, ma'am! Though not always, for each person it's an individual experience, uniquely tuned to them specifically."

"I've never heard of such a thing, not since… well…"

The mammalian woman frowned apologetically. "A great deal was lost with Cerinia's doom Miss Krystal, not just physically, but spiritually. We have long mourned the loss of such beauty in the cosmos. Pray, don't dwell on it anymore, where we're going, there is food, rest and much needed recuperation. You need it after being in space for such an extended period, even if your body is well, your mind and soul need to recover from such long travel. Foxes were not made to be separated from others for such extended periods."

Krystal blinked at the woman with an eyebrow arched.

"Oop! Apologies, I went to school for biology, uhm... Foxes were a particular interest of mine for... reasons." She giggled girlishly.

The vixen smirked, the first one in a long time, someone was an open book, a little mental delve and she took a quick look. Instantly, she regretted it; a somewhat romanticized version of Fox was there. The imaginary figure was handsome, dashing… and for some strange reason ripped well beyond what he was. She quickly backed out and understood why the girl was fascinated.

_Hero worship exists even here it seems._

"I see, I should tell you I'm psionic, so, keep careful track of your thoughts."

The girl blushed as she realized what Krystal saw. "Oh, sweet divines! Imsorryimsorryimsorry!" Mianikai devolved into a panic before Krystal righted her, smiling softly despite the awkward nature of the situation. She found the woman's sudden shift from polite and formal to almost adolescent panic endearing.

"Its okay, I just saw something that caught me off guard is all."

The woman nodded in understanding with cheek's still flushed. "I am so sorry, I... just... I'll shut up now."

"You're fine Mianikai, for what it's worth, you have a very vivid imagination."

Mianikai could not have become a deeper shade of red if she tried. Quickly, the firefox attempted to change the subject. "Here! This way! I am to take you to my temple up in the mountains. There is food, fresh clothing and a place for you to rest."

The cobalt vixen shrugged. _What do I have to lose?_

"Very well, lead the way Miss Mianikai."

"Oh please, call me Mianikai, or even Mia!" She beamed.

"Alright, Mia, I don't mean to seem rude, but species weren't listed on the planet's information. What are you?" Krystal was aquiver with curiosity.

"Red panda!" Mia exclaimed.

"I see, are all Red Pandas this excitable?"

"Almost! We try to keep it under control, but, that's like trying to tell a Panda not to be large."

"You mean Red Panda?"

"Nope! There are two types here, us Red Pandas, which are smaller and have large fluffy tails, and then there are Pandas, big, tall individuals, often muscular or a bit on the chubby side. They're big softies though, despite their size."

"I see, that must get a little confusing."

"Not at all! You'll see at the temple. Quickly, this way!"

Krystal opted to follow along as instructed. What awaited her fascinated her. It was a small plain carriage that was not motorized but pulled by some sort of bipedal animal with a roan coat, an elongated snout with a similarly colored mane upon its neck, and a thick bushy swaying upon its rear end. It brimmed with muscle and snorted as it waited.

"What creature is that?"

"A horse of course!"

The energy which the red panda exuded was infectious, and her rhyme made Krystal burst into giggles. Her dainty paw came up to her lips to cover it while her chest heaved from the pure joy of laughter.

Mia turned about and gazed at the blue vixen with curiosity. "Are you alright Miss Krystal?"

Several seconds passed before she regained control. The vixen smiled genuinely. "Yes, yes, I am fine. It's been a while since I laughed, far too long. I forgot how it felt."

The red panda nodded with warmth in her bright green eyes. "Indoshan is said to have healing properties. Perhaps it's already started to take hold on you?"

"That would be nice, anyway, let's go. I could use a good meal, and a bed to sleep in."

"Of course!"

The two climbed into the carriage, and off they went. The ride was a slow one, and Krystal suddenly realized how tired she was. The sun was up high in the sky. It's warm, and refreshing rays rained down upon her. The sound of various avians fluttering about combined with the sweet scent of fresh air that was laced with plant life. The simple motion of the cart mixed with it all to bring her a sense of comfort. Her eyes began to droop, only to fall asleep on the ride to wherever they were going.

**X-X-X-X**

Krystal awoke after an extended period of rest. Her eyes fluttered open slowly. Nearby, a window was open with the shining beams of the system's star. Vaguely, she remembered it was the afternoon when she had landed and was joined by the woman who was taking her to a temple in the mountains. It now appeared to be morning. Krystal silently wondered how she had been brought in without being stirred. Those thoughts were quickly lost as her synapses began to fire off. The soft linen of a fresh bed lay across her, and the soft mattress beneath her felt heavenly. Though not at peak performance, she still felt quite well rested compared to sleeping in the Cloudrunners cramped conditions.

Slowly her eyes trailed about the room. It was a simple space with a dresser, lamps, and a soft rug with pillows for sitting. The pads had strange floral patterns she had not seen before. It was quite homey in its own way, lifting the blankets, and much to her relief was still garbed in her clothing. Her boots and staff weapon were off to the side laying next to the end table. With The bubbly red panda woman nowhere to be seen, Krystal stood and began to look around, poking her head out into the doorway before coming face to face with Mia who held a tray with what appeared to be breakfast and a beverage of some sort.

"Good morning Miss Krystal, I was just coming to wake you up and give you breakfast!"

The vixen blinked in surprise. "Uhm... thank you, I wasn't expecting room service."

Mia smiled brightly "Think nothing of it. The High Priest said we are to take care of you and whatever you need to help you on your journey."

"I still don't understand, what could your gods possibly want with me?"

The red panda shrugged in response. "I'm afraid I can't answer that, the divines work in mysterious ways, the High Priest might be able to tell you more."

Krystal once more stared on in confusion. "I'm not sure I understand."

Mia sighed "Here, let's go into your room, and I'll explain while you eat."

The cobalt vixen's stomach suddenly rumbled, the food certainly did sound good! With a relenting nod, the two entered the room, and Mia sat the tray down on the carpet. Krystal plopped her shapely rear into one of the comfortable pillows. Both knees moved forward with legs tucked underneath. Krystal mimicked the movement and curled her fluffy tail around her legs. The meal looked to be meager, but given her own experiences with light snacks, it was no doubt rich in nutrients, protein, and other essentials. Her eyes feasted on the meal before her, eggs, some breaded meat, vegetables and a bowl of rice to the side. She saw no utensils, instead only a pair of long wooden sticks.

"Uhm, I don't suppose you have a fork," she asked sheepishly.

Mia sat there and blinked as she realized that Krystal had probably never used chopsticks before. Quickly, the red panda produced a fork from seemingly nowhere. "Apologies! Not often I get to interact with outsiders."

Krystal silently wondered where the panda was keeping that fork, but shrugged it off and took it in gratitude. She started to dig in with a starved hunger before realizing she was in polite company. With a swallow of egg, she flushed in embarrassment. "Sorry, it's been some time since I've been in the presence of company that wasn't rough around the edges."

"All is well Miss Krystal, don't worry, you've been out in the void for six months, who can blame you?"

_A lot of people could actually, I'm the reason Fox is gone and out here in the first place._

Rather than make that conversation awkward, she altered it in another direction. "So, your High Priest?"

"Oh! Yes of course, as I explained before, each experience with the divines is tailored to each individual, no two experiences are ever the same. The divines told the temple at large of your coming, though we had no idea when. The High Priest no doubt knows far more than I do, but they told me I was to pick you up at the spaceport."

Krystal was perplexed. "If you didn't know when.."

"We kept an eye on traffic. This place might be simple, but we are connected with our people."

Krystal facepalmed. "Right, is there any reason why they would tell you about that?"

"I can only assume it's because of Sir McCloud."

The blue vixens face suddenly went pale, and her irises honed in on the girl. She had seen Fox's face on the red pandas mind the previous day, but she assumed it was from seeing footage or reading about him.

"He's here?!"

Mia frowned sadly. "I am afraid not. He left some months ago."

"Where?! When?! What direction?!"

Krystal suddenly had Mia by the shoulders, shaking her, desperation clear in her voice. It was the closest she had been in six months of searching. "Please, tell me if you know!"

"Miss Krystal! Please! I don't know where he went to after he departed, we tried to help him as best we could, but, not even our temple could help his broken soul."

The vixen closed her eyes upon hearing those words.

_So, the Krazoa were right. I did break him.  
_

Mia watched as Krystal's face took on a pained expression. "If it is any consolation, he still spoke incredibly highly of you. I was one of the few people he actually talked to openly." She watched as the Cerinian's ears perked forward, her eyes opened with a ray of hope.

"R-really?" she said in disbelief.

"Oh yes, last we spoke, it was clear he was still madly in love with you, though it hurt him to talk about you." Once more Krystal flinched, it was a ray of hope that had been laden with a slap to the face. What did she expect? The fact he even acknowledged her at all, even in pain, was at least something.

"Did he leave anything? A note, a piece of clothing?" She desired something, anything of him, a piece of physical evidence to keep her going.

"Two things, his blaster, and a red scarf, both of which are kept by the High Priest."

"Take me to him, now." She almost growled.

"I don't think that's wise, you're shaken, exhausted and most of all, you need rest." Came the reply from Mia.

"I don't _care_ about me, what I care about is finding Fox, I will run myself ragged if I need to, now please, take me to this priest."

Mia was hesitant; she had been instructed to keep the vixen on bed rest until she was fully rested. However, though Mia was trained in combat and a veteran of the Wars for Indoshan, she was still a soft soul at heart. When that vixen was pleading with her, ears back and tail limp, those eyes brimming with mixed desperation and hope, Mia did not possess the will to say no. "Alright, on one condition, you wash and get into a change of clothes. You're uh... a bit ripe."

"There's no time for that! The longer I wait, the farther away he gets!"

It was then Mia took on a serious tone. "I will not have you traipsing around my temple, smelling of stale air, sweat, and other various scents. I understand you're eager and pleased you finally found your love's trail, but that's no excuse for slovenly behavior."

Krystal wanted to rebuke the red panda, but, she knew that Mia was right. It would be indecent, and she had been raised better.

_Not that it matters, considering the shite storm I caused._

"Alright... Alright, my apologies."

Mia suddenly gave Krystal a warm hug and patted her on the back. Caught by surprise by the sisterly affection, she couldn't help but return it. Krystal closed her eyes and basked in the warmth. It was a hug similar to that Katt had given her back on Great Fox. Before the two parted, Mia spoke quietly, "Fox told me all about you, and I see now why he still loves you, the fact you would risk all to find him, even after the mistakes and suffering. It's clear your heart beats for him."

Krystal nodded. "It does, and every day he's gone, the ache I feel gets worse."

Mia nodded in comprehension. "I understand all too well the feeling of a missed love Krystal, but you need to have faith. I know you will find him. Now, go wash up in the hot springs. It will help you relax, just down the hall, third door on the right."

"Thank you, Mia," Krystal spoke quietly. She stood and exited the door.

"Poor girl," Mia muttered softly to herself.

Down the hall, Krystal had found herself in the hot springs. The humid air had traces of floral incense and other fragrance. They were meant to soothe and relax, and they did just that. She felt her body and mind easing into the atmosphere as she extracted herself from her clothing, folding them neatly in the corner before her nude body descended into the pool. It was a natural spring, steam radiating from the water in a rocky outcropping, but the structure was built in such a manner that it seemed to mesh with the stone rather than hinder it or overrule it. Much like Corniera, it appeared the Indoshans lived in harmony with nature rather than try to tame it. The cobalt vixen slid down into the hot waters up to her shoulders, her long hair gently floating atop as she let out a fitful sigh of relief. Muscles relaxed, tension left her. It felt as though all her troubles were falling away.

It was in that moment her mind finally gave. Parts of her psyche sensed relaxation and weakness, and they exploited it fully. The negligence of maintaining her brain finally caught up with her.

"Hello, Krystal." The vixens eyes went wide with a yelp as she attempted to cover herself with her paws. That voice, she _knew_ that voice, it couldn't be, Mia said he wasn't here! Her eyes whipped to the edge of the pool where Fox sat. Those aquamarine eyes went wide; the vixen didn't know what to say, what to think, the fact he was here! She wanted to rush to him, hug him only for her thoughts to pick up nothing. She shook her head after closing her eyes. He was still there.

"I... what? Fox?" she spoke, voice laden with confusion.

"Yes and no." He replied in that soft-spoken voice, full of lament. Hearing his ordinarily strong voice made the ache in her heart that built every day hit harder than ever.

"I don't understand."

"You should, you should understand better than anyone."

Once more Krystal shook her head, trying to shake away whatever phantasm was before her. "You're not real, not even here, just my mind playing tricks on me from all the stress and guilt. That's all you are."

"Partially true," came his voice once more.

Krystal gulped. She had heard stories about people's will being so strong that they left an echo or resonance wherever they went. The Great Fox had been an example of that, but they weren't supposed to be self-aware.

_What is going on here?_

"Who are you?"

"Isn't it obvious?" The todd replied. Krystals eyes suddenly became very worried and wide-eyed at the developing situation. She wasn't sure if it was a spirit, or perhaps the charged aura around this place might be causing manifestations of the self.

The fox sitting across from her smiled as it caught the sight of recognition. "Has it been truly that long? Forgotten your training, did you? Surely you haven't fallen _that_ far, have you," the imitation Fox spoke derisively. "I mean, betraying your true love, turning your back on Corneria, hurting your family so despicably and sadistically." The vulpine chuckled in admiration. "I mean really... Perhaps maybe I should change shape to reflect the situation better."

The image of Fox across from her suddenly shifted. His clothing changed from Fox's old flight suit into some strange armor that covered a growing bust, belly exposed. The body slowly became more feminine; as the fur went from stark blazing orange to cobalt blue and white just like hers. Green eyes faded to aquamarine but only reflected a dead and empty inside. Long blue hair sprouted from the creature's skull but it swiftly darkened into purple. Across from Krystal, sat a near mirror image of her, only, she resonated far more sinisterly with her aura.

"There we go, much better, don't you think? A true reflection of what you have become." The voice was a perfect replication of her own rich accent, but it was filled with rage and pure hatred. Krystal could not fathom what she was seeing! Was this a test? A trick?

"Who are you, what do you want?"

"I want out, of course. We both know Fox will never take us back, not after what we did, and besides, who needs him? The fool couldn't see us as we truly were, he didn't respect us." The purple haired vixen spoke, investigating her nails closely. "All we were, was his ward, we were nothing to him, so, why not embrace this? Come, let's leave this foolish little journey behind, forget him, we don't need Fox. All we need to do is go out into the universe and unleash ourselves upon it. People will respect us then, even if it's fear, It matters little, we will prove that we don't need Fox or Star Wolf."

Krystal sat back down in the tub, eyes glaring at her doppelganger, noticing small purple bands covered her tattoos. The pants were covering her thighs and concealing the tribal symbol of her family. "Tell me your name."

The vixen grinned maliciously. "I am you Krystal, and you are me, but if you must call me something different…. Hmmm." She tapped her chin with a manicured claw tip, scratching it slowly with a smirk. "Kursed will do, after all, it's an apt name for our life. Home destroyed, the man we thought loved us pushed us away, never giving into the desires we knew were there."

_I'm going insane._

Kursed cackled. "Insane? Actually, you're not far off. Someone forgot to keep their meditation and practices up. Your mind is quite literally unraveling," the vixen said as that mocking laughter continued.

Krystal bit her bottom lip, to the point where blood was drawn. "I am not you. I never could be you! I see that vile aura; you are everything that I oppose!"

The vixen laughed maniacally, slapping her knee in amused glee. "And you haven't fallen that far?! Look at you! Out in the void of space, chasing dead trails of a man who may not even be alive. He probably doesn't even love us anymore, despite what that stupid little ringtail might think. She's just filling your mind with platitudes and trying to comfort you. I doubt that blaster and scarf are really here. I mean, come on. The Divines? what hogwash, our gods died when Cerinia was lost, why would any other god take an interest in us? We're nothing… but that does not need to be the case, Krystal. We can be more; we can be strong, we don't need anyone else but ourselves. That's how it's always been since we departed Cerinia."

Krystal took a deep breath. The words that her doppelganger spoke were true. It had been her, and only her, for some time. Even when she joined Star Wolf, she hadn't been part of their team. The vixen had been more a hanger-on than anything else, a tool. _She,_ Krystal, had led Star Wolf to victory where Wolf had failed so many times before. She broke Fox, destroyed him, and chased him out of Lylat. In her weakness, she had become incredibly sadistic, and now that very manifestation of who she had become was right before her. It was merely extending an olive branch for her to fall into a pit of darkness in entirety. The cerulean vixen looked up at her counterpart. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed nervously. The vixen's rage emanated off of her, a great red aura that arced out bolts of candescent energy to each side of her. The malicious vulpine promised power and strength, something that Krystal desperately needed, but to take it would mean giving up all hope of ever finding Fox. We can become whatever it is she would become and finally embrace that power.

She had made a declaration to the Krazoa atop the palace that she would find Fox and bring him home. Krystal had promised her family, Peppy, Miyu, Fay, Falco, Slippy, and everyone in Lylat she would find her missing todd.

"Oh please, those dodgy old spirits don't care, if they did, they would have helped you find him right off the bat. No one cares about us Krystal, no one loves us, we're all alone, and if that's the way it is? Fine. Then let's be the thing everyone despises-

"That's quite enough of that." Came another voice, this one decidedly kinder, gentler, but decisive.

Both Kursed and Krystal turned to the newcomer. Krystal honestly felt her grasp on reality slipping, gazing upon a past version of herself, her tribal garb, the staff weapon, loincloth and all. Younger but no less proud and with noble birth ringing true in her features.

"Are you truly going to listen to this demon?" The tribal Krystal spoke firmly. "What of your honor, your promise? Have You truly forgotten all that mother and the elders taught us?" Her staff jutted out, the bright blue gem radiating energy, pointing at the purple haired doppelganger. "Is that what we wish to devolve to? A vengeful beast? We made our mistakes, now face them as a daughter of The Cardinal Sun, only we can fix what has been wrought."

"Pfft! Don't listen to that old drivel, Cerinia is dead, our family, clan, gods are all dead. Nothing remains but dust and empty space, we're all that's left, and we should do everything in our power to survive. It's what they would want." Kursed crossed both arms over her chest, glaring with contempt at her younger counterpart.

Said vixen rolled her eyes. "Kursed is but a passing phase, one of anger and hurt, and she is right to be so, for our life has been one of both, but that does not mean it needs to consume us. We grieve for the lost, and we move forward. For we still yet live, there is honor and dignity in that, to give into that which would make us a truly forsaken individual, would shame what remains of our people even further and dishonor their memory."

"Please, don't pass off that flowery crock at us, that stage of life ended when we lost everything. Then we got a home, and that bastard kicked us out!" Kursed roared, leaping at the tribal vixen, their noses touching as she stared down at the smaller of the two. Her younger self did not flinch.

"I do not fear you, Kursed, I never have, never will, you promise power and respect. You would only cause more pain. Pain that we could not endure, an existence that would be but a short brief flame before being snuffed out."

"Better to die in a blaze of glory than fade away."

Krystal sat in the tub, clutching her head as the pair of vixens went back and forth, her mind was pounding, reeling at what she saw before her, two versions of herself, a battle for the future as her mind tried to make sense of it all. The voices of those who called her traitor, those that praised her for decisive action. A million voices cried out at her before one stormed through and cut clean through the maelstrom.

"Enough!" All three vixens flinched, looking around the room as they attempted to find the source of it. The voice was like a thundercrack, full of authority and power.

_Gods, not another one, please._

Finally, the source of the third voice appeared and Krystal's jaw dropped in awe. Standing there before all three quarreling souls was the mother herself; she was the creator of all Cerinians, the light, and heart of their system. The vixen was tall, standing easily at six foot five. Though her form was imposing, she boasted an aura of kindness and the power of a matriarch in her prime. The azure vulpine bore resplendent blue fabric weaved into a robe that clung neatly to her body. The gown had loops that fit under her arms and around her shoulders, leaving her arms and the sides of her legs exposed while her chest and curves remained covered. The symbol for the sun was a swirling circular pattern much like Krystal's own tattoo only without the four points upon her thigh. Long yellowish tattoos descended from her shoulders down to her wrists which ended in gold bands. Slowly she strode forward, each step bringing her closer to one of her wayward children. The poor girl was being plagued by the best and worst aspects of her personality. Each step was gentle, purposeful, as though she glided upon the air. Pristine azure fur ran across her body; the statuesque vixen was the only one in the Cerinian pantheon that was purely one fur color, something no other Cerinian could claim in all but the rarest circumstances.

"Ceria," Krystal uttered in reverence.

Kursed snarled in rage. "No you don't, you don't get to-"

"Silence." The cerulean vixen whispered, her voice carried with it immense tenderness and care. Her paw gently reached out to touch Kursed's face, caressing the purple haired vixen who winced and then nuzzled into the paw before slowly fading into nothing. Krystal emitted a gasp of surprise as she flinched. A sudden sense of relief washed over her. It was as though an entire weight within her soul was silenced and carried off. The rage in her heart all but seemingly vanished for the moment.

Ceria turned to the younger tribal Krystal who only bowed and vanished quietly into the background.

The towering female turned those warm aquamarine eyes to Krystal, a splitting image of her own rich hues. Krystal had not spoken to the gods in so long having since thought them dead after the loss of Cerinia. She forgot how much power they exuded. Just by being in their presence, one felt cowed, unworthy. To her shock, the matronly vixen strode forward and entered the pool. Krystal expected righteous anger and fury, at the very least contempt and disappointment; But those bright eyes only held an unending love and kindness that she could just begin to grace the very shallows of understanding.

Ceria approached her with the water being barely disturbed with each elegant step. She came to a stop just before Krystal, the taller of the two gingerly kneeling and embraced the young vixen to her bosom; Like a mother would her terrified kit. Krystal was shocked, to say the least, everything in seconds that could ever be called reason was destroyed. Ceria said nothing but still held onto Krystal. Her paw gingerly cupped the back of the young woman's head and moved the smaller vixen to where her heart would be if she were mortal. To the cerulean vixen's surprise, a gentle, soothing rhythm in filled her ear. In response, Krystal could only wrap her arms around the creator of her people, the mother of all Cerinian's. Krystal wanted to apologize for so much. The vixen wanted to get on paw and knee to beg for forgiveness for her mistakes and transgressions.

"Don't." A voice filled with such serenity and love, it made Krystal feel safer than she had in what felt like an age. The matronly vixen's paw tenderly stroked through Krystal's long azure locks, soothing her much like one would expect a mother to. "You have done enough apologizing and weeping to last a lifetime. It is I who should apologize to you."

Krystal turned her head up to gaze at the very creator of her people, the embodiment of what it meant to be Cerinian. "W-What?" Her voice was sounding like that of a kit.

"It is because of me, that you have fallen so far from grace my child. I was not there for you when you needed me most; I let my own grief at the loss of so many consume me. When what I should have been doing, was guiding those that lived to the best of my ability through the worst time imaginable." It seemed, even gods felt as mortals sometimes did.

The admission in there shook Krystal to the core. "Those… that lived? There's more Cerinians!?"

A single paw pad came down to place it against her nose. "Don't lose sight of why you're here. There will come a time you have to deal with that child of The Cardinal Sun. For now, you need to find your mate. One thing at a time, lest you lose yourself again."

Krystal flinched with a nod. "I.. I almost failed didn't I?"

"You came so very close Krystal, which is why I chose to intervene. I dare not imagine letting the brightest hope for my children fall into that vicious trap of hatred."

"But the Krazoa-"

"Are not Cerinians." Ceria interrupted. "Their hearts were in the right place, but even the gods and spirits make mistakes from time to time."

"Does that mean you'll help me?" The cobalt vixen was hopeful, pleading, the gods had survived! Or at least one of them had, she swallowed with the trepidation of the answer that would come.

"I will help you, to an extent child. I cannot deliver unto you what you seek, for that would do you a great disservice. You must grow and appreciate what you have lost. Once you have done that, then will you find the strength to claim what you desire. But first, I offer a question."

Krystal's ears perked forward, her tail swaying under the warm water, still embraced by the goddess of all Cerinians, she waited with bated breath.

"Do you still love him? Do not answer right away. I want you to think about it. You have acted rashly in the past, doing so has caused much hurt too many that truly care about your well being. You are here, but that does not answer all. Will your heart let him back in? Will you give him the chance to show that he loves you, even if it takes time?"

That was more than one question, but she wasn't about to argue with the creator of her people. Krystal sat there in the steaming hot bath; motherly affection being placed upon her as the vixen dwelled upon those questions, searching her battered and tired soul for the answers.

_Do I love him still? Is this some folly quest to ease my own guilt? To make myself feel better? Am I out here for him, or for me?_

They were essential questions, and Krystal felt nervous. She had no definitive answer to each of them. She breathed deeply in fear as apprehension gripped her heart. Had Kursed been right? That she was a vengeful selfish bitch and should give into that? Become Kursed and wander the stars forevermore preying upon those that got in her way?

Or was her younger tribal self-right? The young vixen from a doomed world who still clung to honor and the sacred ways of her people. She closed her eyes willing herself to conclude, but to her shame, none came forth.

"It may take time for you to answer my dear… but I cannot stay long. Others need my attention. If you want to talk child, do not hesitate to call upon me. I will come as quickly as I can. Do not lose hope Krystal, you are never alone, not anymore." came the soothing voice of the mother.

The young vixen turned her head up to the divine being and nodded. "Thank you, but you said you would help me."

"And I shall, when you answer those questions, for now, listen to the young monk, what was her name?"

"Mianikai."

"Yes, Mianikai, she has your best interests at heart, and will be a great boon in your recovery here."

She would not argue and nodded to the tall vixen. "Thank you, so much. I am not worthy of your grace."

"No child, it is I who am not worthy of your devotion, but I will earn that right." She smiled before fading, leaving Krystal alone in the tub.

What felt like a bolt of electricity shot up her spine as the vixen's eyes flew open and sat upright with water rippling around her as she blinked in confusion "What the…?" Krystal shook her head as the disorientation wore off. "That was one bloody hell of a dream." The azure vixen sighed quietly.

"Must have fallen asleep." She muttered, gazing around the hot spring carefully as there was a knock on the door. The voice of the red panda on the other side. "Miss Krystal? Are you okay? You've been in there for quite some time! I thought I heard shouting!"

"I'm fine Mia, just fell asleep and had a very vivid dream."

Krystal stood and stretched, shaking the water from her coat before grabbing the towel nearby, slowly drying herself off. She made her way to the door and opened it, the red panda standing there with concern on her face. "Are you sure you're alright?" Mia asked with ears laid back, and tail coiled nervously around her leg.

"I am fine Mia, really. It was just a potent dream. Not to shoo you off, but I need to get to my pack, I have a spare set of clothes in there."

The woman nodded emphatically. "Of course Miss Krystal, I will see to it that your clothes are washed and properly cleaned. After that, we will go see the High Priest, I promise."

Krystal nodded with a friendly smile. "Thank you, Mia. I will see you in a bit then."

The two parted ways, and Krystal found her way back to the room she had been given. Her towel came away, and she stood before the window that bore the sun's rays into her room, warming herself and basking in the light, not a care in the world someone might see her. The questions Krystal had asked reverberated in her mind causing her to face scrunch up as she tried hard to think of the answers, but none came.

"Maybe this priest can help me…" She mumbled. The vixen was staring off into the nearby bamboo forests, her mind wandering to better happier times. Times where she was so madly in love and cheerful; when life seemed so perfect. She missed those days, cuddling with Fox, sharing his warmth, his nervous adorable smile that was just so endearing. The way he would hold her like she was the most precious thing in the galaxy to him. Krystal's mind drifted further afield as she tried to figure things out. She knew where it all went wrong; he had been scared, as his potential mate she should have done everything to ease his mind. The vixen thought back to the argument and how many counterpoints she could have made to disprove that she wasn't in any real danger, especially not at his side. Eventually, Krystal would have concluded that had anything happened to her, and she would have never blamed him.

 _But then, he would always blame himself. He's like that. He takes the world upon his shoulders and everyone's burdens before dealing with his own. That's what makes him so unique. He'll put everyone else above his own happiness and safety._ Krystal leaned on the windowsill, a sad smile on her face as she realized just what made Fox that heroic figure. With a shake of her head, the vixen turned about and went back into her room, donning her spare clothes, a simple shirt, and paints with a pair of shoes.

As if on cue, a knock came to her door to which Krystal answered. Mia waited on the other side, giving Krystal a polite bow. "The High Priest is waiting." She spoke quietly.

The cerulean vixen nodded her head in reply. "Alright then, let's go."The two females made their way down the hall. The temple was significant, but far from vast, courtyards, gardens, even classrooms, and dojos. It was as much a place of worship as it was a center of learning. The structures were similar to Cerinia's approaches to faith and education. It pleased her on the inside that there was somewhere else in the galaxy that such a thing existed.

Only a few minutes passed until they arrived at what seemed to be the central part of the complex. Various monks of different species ranging from canine down to rodent all sat cross-legged as they meditated in peace. At the very back was the main shrine, sleek wooden poles capped in a bar that arced out to points on the very ends. It was fantastic craftsmanship to say the very least. At the base of the structure sat a surprisingly buff bear-like creature, clad in brown robes with his face was a mixture of black and white fur. The bear had black circles around his eyes, but the rest of him was a soft white coloration. His frame was quite sturdy, yet he had an aura of kindness about him. A calm, peaceful man, garbed merely, for a simple life.

_That must be what Mianikai was talking about. He is quite large.  
_

The monks all remained quiet, not one of them opening their eyes as both Krystal and Mia made their way past with each step. The sapphire vixen followed behind the red panda as she led Krystal up before the priest. Krystal followed Mia's actions as the woman knelt before the High Priest on both knees, legs tucked under, mimicking the girl's movements and remaining silent.

After a few moments of waiting, the bear-like creature's eyes opened to gaze upon the two who sat kneeled and upright before him. A rumble like that of a mountain as he took in his pupil and their guest. Bright sky-blue eyes gazed upon Krystal, gauging her from head to toe. His visage conveyed inquisitiveness as the old panda studied the newcomer carefully. The male's gaze soon turned to a frown as he perceived pain and anger emanating off of Krystal. Mianikai had been spot on with the vixen; the young woman was full of hurt, hatred, and guilt. Her aura was similar to the todd who had come before her. The difference was in magnitude, his pain was far more significant, though hers was no less potent. He could not help but admire smaller woman's spirit. There was strength in ample supply which was weighed down by her woes and ghosts. To have such weight upon her shoulders and still soldier forward, it impressed him. The panda knew it would be no simple feat to help the vixen on her way, but by his ancestors, he would support the girl. Just as he had for the male, who came before. He would do his utmost to set the two lovers on a course that would see them reunited.

"Well then, Lady Krystal of The Cardinal Sun, shall we get started?" A fatherly tone in his voice, doing his best to convey that he was there to help her. The vixen looked at him with those pained eyes. The elderly panda could tell she was ready, but it would be a journey in and of itself for her. Krystal offered only a nod in reply.

"Very well, let us begin. You may simply refer to me as father, priest, sir, whichever honorific, names are not important in these sacred halls, all that matters right now, is helping you." His voice sage and laced with sincerity, as though a father worried for his child.

Krystal stared at the male, taking his aura in, gazing into the bear's eyes. Gingerly she reached out with her mind and knocked on the doors to his mind, or would have if there were any. Instead, she found an open path waiting for her. Krystal took it as an invitation and entered. There she found a sense of welcome, great altruism that she had not felt since her days as a child. She could detect no lies, nor any malicious intent, the vixen turned to Mianikai who only smiled at her reassuringly. A brown paw lay at rest upon her shoulder in a comforting manner. To outsiders, or those not familiar with aspects of her life, it would seem insane to let someone who was a complete stranger help them in matters of the self. In the Cerinian culture, however, the priesthood was trusted near implicitly. With her spiritual perception, the cobalt vixen was able to see the true intentions of those around her. Krystal crushed an urge that rose to push back. It was that very same side criticizing her for accepting help that she was weak. The vixen doubled down, remembering what the Krazoa had told her atop the palace. She needed to have faith, as it was the only thing that could deliver her. After all, she had nothing to lose and everything to gain if it worked. Krystal gazed apprehensively to the panda priest.

"I have a feeling where this is going… and I am not sure if I like it.

"Rarely do people enjoy looking introspectively, Lady Krystal. It is often harder to face reality and truth. It is far easier to lay blame elsewhere." The priest was spot on, and it hit a bit close to home for her. He was right; she did need to tend to herself. The vixen was required to rebuild her metaphorical house before things went any loonier than they already had.

_There's no more blame to lay anywhere. I know what I did. What happened wasn't Fox's fault. It was mine. If I am going to continue this journey, I need to fix things within before I can succeed without. That, and I especially don't need to argue with myself. I already have enough baggage as it is.  
_

Her internal reverie ended as she turned back to both pandas."It has been a long time since I meditated, let alone gone that deep into it… but I suppose it's time I returned to my roots."

The priest nodded to Krystal, fatherly smiles and all. "It is a start, no guarantees that all will be well by the time you're done, but, much like anything else. The more you work at it, the easier it becomes. We will be here should things become too much, or should you be overwhelmed. We are not telepaths ourselves, but we understand the mind more so than others and how it can affect one's actions. We are here for support, and the rest is up to you."

"You are too kind. I wish there was a way I could repay all this."

The Priest waved his massive paw in the air. "The divines ask, and we heed the call, that is our purpose. Now, no more dallying about the subject. You know what must be done, Lady Krystal."

With a nod of her head, the vixen knew what needed to be done. With a sigh of dread, the vixen took a meditative pose, her legs crossed before her with back slouched in a relaxed position. Those aquamarine eyes closed and her paws lay at rest upon her knees. Gradual timed breaths escaped her nose, bit by bit the world slowly fell away with each calming movement. She did not hear a single note of the wind, nor even sense the presence of Mianikai or the Priest. Her entire world became centralized in the sense of self. Krystal could feel them burning deep within: The black seething hatred and anger that burned like wildfire in her soul. Antagonistic pride was questioning why she was crawling back to Fox like some weakling Cornerian woman. Her great determination to see one of the most painful eras of her life through to the end for good or ill. Dark fear that welled in her very being, fear of the unknown, terror that Fox would hate her and shun her away for the pain she caused. At the center of it all, however, was boundless love. A love that she had long repressed in hopes of being seen as cold, vicious and calculating. Krystal had once viewed her tendencies for kindness and care as a weakness and liability. She knew now that she couldn't have been more wrong. In a galaxy beset by the wicked, someone with a heart as strong as hers should have stood out from the ordinary folk just as Fox did. A shining beacon of love and hope, a sign to all that not everything was darkness, that there was still good in the universe; and yet she had succumbed to the mortal condition. She realized in all of this that she was on the same level as they.

Her pride surged forward, rearing its ugly head as it became repulsed by that very notion. She was Cerinian. A daughter born of high lineage, how she could be on the level as any common Cornerian or came to love a Lylatian who wasn't even what Cornerians considered High Born. The vicious beast lashed at Krystal's mind, demanding why they sought a weakling and coward once again.

Krystal became disgusted with herself. The fact that she had ever listened to such thoughts was beyond repugnance. The azure vixen promptly crushed it and forced her pride to bend at her will. She leashed the powerful sense of pride and put it in its place. Krystal would find a use for her pride, but for now, she looked to her determination, her will to see troubled times through.

_The Foundation._

The cerulean vixen took firm hold of her resolute nature and began to build, not a house, but a fortress. One which she would watch vigilantly over, her mind was her own. It was not a playground for her emotions to run wild, nor was it something for her to forget and neglect. Every proverbial brick she lay was firmly set into place by the hammer of her animosity. Much like Fox had in the past, Krystal put her negativity to use. Foxs' had been for the betterment of everyone else. Krystal did it not only for herself; she did it for Fox as well. For if she could not better herself, how could she better help others? With those questions in mind, she made every proverbial hammer blow count as her mind built the walls higher, stronger, better than they had ever been before. When she was done, her walls stood high and proud. Krystal's mind was reinforced and protected.

There was still something missing, an essential element, her fear. Krystal reached into the darkest parts of her mind and wrangled with it for what felt like an eternity. All the terrors she had experienced since her arrival to Lylat to the point where she was at now. It whispered to her of defeat, of the things that crept in the dark, that she could never face the trials like she had when Fox was around.

_The Guardian_

Krystal knew in her heart that they were lies, self-doubts had wedged themselves firmly in her mind. Her new mental fortress needed a watchman, and her fear would be it. The cobalt vixen shone the light in the dark of her mind, banishing those fears away and told herself, that no matter what came at the end of the day, she would endure. The vixen knew she could not give up now, not when her first real clue to Fox was right before her. Krysta took her fear by the paw and began to mold it. She mixed in her determination, her wellspring of love, though diminished was renewing itself. Slowly but surely, her fear went from a cowering little light to a burning torch in the darkest crevices of her mind. It became the resolute soldier, though she did not conquer her fear, for to fear was mortal. No one could live without fear, those who claimed they did were either suicidal or fools.

With fear came caution, which became a bridge, her warrior nature, the archers upon her walls. Krystal had finally come to her pride and rage. Those all-encompassing behavior that had led her down a dark path in the first place; what could she use pride and anger for?

She thought about it long and hard before she concluded what she could do. A little smile crossed Krystals face in the real world, one Mia and the old priest watched on with interest, for within her mind; the vixen found a use for her pride. The moat for which the walls and bridge would be protected, the gilded banners of her house upon the metaphysical walls, the commander of a fortress which stood beside her more modest and humble self. Her rage became the gatekeeper, putting it there should all other defenses fail, her wrath would be the last line of defense, or in different situations, her first strike. With her fragmented emotions in line, she intoned the Cerinian code and added one more onto the end. Honor, Love, Mercy, Compassion, Understanding, and now, Pride. Not to be mistaken with arrogance, Krystal was the last of her kind, she should have pride in who she was and where she came from. She would never forget the teachings of her fallen people, least of all, horrifically abuse or undermine them. It was with this lengthy process that Krystal finally managed to bring her fragmented emotions to heel. Her mind felt safer, homey, and for once in what seemed an eternity, she felt at ease.

The world slowly came back into focus, the wind outside rustled lightly, the gentle patter of rain from a storm overhead. The soft breathing of the priest and Mia filled her senses. The strong scent of incense filled the air as Krystal slowly lifted the veil of her eyes as she stared forward. Faint light and darkness had filled the room and torches were lit. It must have been hours since she went into her meditative state. Only the kindly priest and Mianikai sat before her, staring on at their guest with immense curiosity. However, what drew the cobalt vixen's eyes more than anything, were the two items in each of the fatherly priest's paws. A very familiar blaster that looked worn from use with recognizable paw prints on them; and beside it, a faded red scarf. Krystal saw them both for what they were, and her heart leaped up into her throat. These were first two clues of her love in six dreary, empty months. Tears threatened to spring up in her eyes, not from sorrow, but relief, she had a trail. **He** had been here, no doubt looking for help. Her eyes went up to the giant panda in hope and curiosity.

"They are yours, Lady Krystal, he would have wanted you to have them, to find him. Your gift will help you with that. Of this, I have no doubts."

A veritable cornucopia of emotions welled up within her at that moment; she was unsure which to hone in on before she reached out and took both items. Tenderly she palmed them to her chest, just over her heart as she sobbed quietly. Neither mammals begrudged the vixens actions. She had been through so much, and finally, she had a light at the end of the darkness. There was a chance, and it was hers to take.

"T-thank you.." she spoke in a quivering voice. "Thank you so much. Nothing could ever make up for what you have done here for me today."

Mianikai smiled at her. "As the father said, think nothing of it, Krystal. It is our duty to aid those in need. Sir McCloud is a kind soul, a wounded man no doubt, but there is still good in him. All it takes is the right person to bring it back out, or in this case, the right vixen."

Krystal couldn't help but smile at that; she didn't feel she was the right one to do it but, Krystal knew that she had to try.

The kindly priest smiled at her as he spoke in that deep baritone voice of his. "Just have faith Lady Krystal, it will see you through the dark, just as it always has, now, you have been through much. I suggest retiring to your room for some sleep, and then you can continue your journey."

The vixen nodded to her hosts in agreement as a wave of sudden mental fatigue hit her like a full speed maglev train.

"Yes… I think that would be best." She replied, her voice ragged and filled with exhaustion.

"I will bring you some food before bed. You will need the nourishment." The little red panda spoke warmly. Krystal could only nod in consent as she stood, carrying the two items as though they were the holiest of relics to her room. She laid both on her bed and stared at them, each of them rife with so many emotions, a sense of aimlessness, hurt, and emotional anguish. The echoes were strong, and she knew upon tapping into them, would not be a pleasant experience.

Her food came sometime later, and she ate heartily. Within the meal were fresh meats, fruits, vegetables and clean spring water. The vixen was left to her devices for the rest of the night before she fell into a fitful sleep. A tiny smile on her lips and only one picture on her mind. For the first time in almost two years, she dreamt of Fox. The feeling of being held in those mighty arms. The pair curled up together on the beaches of Cape Claw with the sweet sea breeze washing over them while Lyla warmed their bodies with her powerful rays. Thoughts of their lips touching made her smile in her sleep which made her cling all that tighter to her pillow which in her sleep had become an imitation of her love. She dreamt of those intense green eyes that she adored so much while mumbling in her sleep.

"I miss you so much, Fox… I'm coming to get you… I love you."

Her rest for the night went undisturbed, and when she awoke the next day, the vixen would feel like her old self once again. Those strong turquoise eyes were ablaze with purpose and renewed vigor. She was ready to face her ghosts and mistakes.


	5. Bread Crumbs

Before Krystal sat two items of her missing love. His XR-44 Blaster and trademark ascot. Her eyebrows furrowed in worry as she mulled on the following actions. The blaster had marks of being unattended. Natural oils from his palms along with the barrel having a few scorch marks from lack of proper ozone cleaning. The battery compartment also looked like absolute hell. Fox was never one to leave his tools in such a state of disrepair. There was a burning question in her mind, however, one that needed to be answered.

_Fox would never go anywhere without either of these. Why leave them behind? Fox never knew about my echoes or any of my more powerful psionic abilities. He only knew about my telepathy… I was always too frightened to tell him how far it went._

There was hesitation on her part. She was afraid for two reasons, the first was facing the reality of just how much she hurt Fox and emotions she would experience from two personal items. The second one was far more worrying. She had seen Fox's hurt, his sorrows, and pain all the way back on Great Fox. His ascot carried with it something far more terrifying to her, something she had never seen the todd display in legitimacy. Rage. Pure, unbridled hatred. She had seen him mad, pissed off, livid; but this? It was hatred on a level she did not know Fox was capable of. The darkness covered the ascot and pistol on every inch of fabric and metal. Where his more painful emotions were like a dark ooze; it was like staring into an empty abyss of nothing. Naught but negativity rolled off it, and it terrified her that Fox held such power in his heart. Krystal knew she had to face it though. Otherwise, the goal she had set for herself may never be attained. Krystal sat the ascot and blaster in front of her person and placed both palms over them. Her nerves were wracked. She hoped Mia had been honest when she said McCloud still had good in his heart.

_He buried it beneath his fury. Who else could he be mad at but me?_

The vixen knew in her heart there was only one way to find out. With an apprehensive intake of breath, she took the plunge. Both paws lay on the items in question, and she listened to them, at first she expected only words before a sudden rush raw, primal energy stormed her mind. The room swirled and colors blended before she found herself standing back in the main hall of the temple. It was the same as before only there was no priest, no Mia. It was only Fox, herself and an empty room. She had heard stories on Cerinia that certain echoes could be incredibly strong so as to recreate entire scenes of someone's life. It was intensely rare, but it did happen. Her eyes came to rest upon her dear todd, taking in how he looked. It broke her heart to see how far her hero had fallen. His fur was disheveled, and his clothing had certainly seen better days. She slowly circled around him with curiosity and with a shocked gasp, took a step back. His eyes were sunken into his head, as though he had not slept in a week, heavy bags lay beneath them. They were so full of infinite distress and anguish; she could barely stand to look at him. Only when she spoke did her attention return thoroughly to Fox.

He fidgeted quietly and tapped on his knees as he sat cross-legged. His head lifted up, forlorn and vain hope drifted off his consciousness.

"Look, I… I don't know how this all works. Do I say an incantation? Do I just talk in my mind and you can hear me? Am I supposed to do some kind of dance? I've never done this before, I'm not a man of faith. Do I confess my sins or talk about what I've done? The priest wasn't exactly clear, neither was Mia for that matter." His voice was filled with dejection, trembling fear and limitless heartbreak.

The day seemed to suddenly skip forward as she saw the light and then darkness followed by daybreak once again. Krystal shook her head in thought before she was back in front of Fox who was once more sitting before the shrine cross-legged, looking far worse than before. His fur was dirty this time around, and he looked aggravated. She watched as more days went by and Fox continued to degrade. Yet still, he pleaded, prayed and begged for a sign from the gods. Each time he was greeted with silence. The todds appearance became a mess, his fur was matted and dingy, the clothing he wore looked as though it hadn't been washed in weeks. His face, however, was what worried her the most. Where once had been vain hope and pain, was now a ferocious rage.

"What do you want from me?" He asked coldly. "I've lost everything, and given up so much! Why do I have to lose more?! What more does the universe want from me?!" He stood, anger filling his heart and with a terrible finality, she saw it. The vestige of rage that had wedged deep in his soul was starting to spread like a tree of burgeoning animosity. It slowly began to branch out with each phrase he spoke.

"I lost both my parents! I gave my best years to Lylat and opened my home to a complete stranger who lost everything just as I did! I put my life on the line for untold millions!" More branches began to form as they took deep root in Fox. Krystal watched on in horror before in real time, the light of his pure heart become ever dimmer as it was swallowed by the abyss of his rage.

"I killed Tyrants, invaders, extragalactic fucking insects and gods be damned sushi!" He threw up his hands in exasperation. Fox paced back and forth, tail lashing in agitation with his ears flat against his skull.

"I even gave up the one thing that mattered to me the most just so she would be safe. And how am I repaid? Idolatry, vainly worshiped by hordes of fans, but worst of it all?! **Betrayal**!" He snapped. Those words were like a precision bomb to Krystal's heart. The sheer force behind those spoken words made her flinch and whimper quietly as the ache in her heart flared. Those roots of animosity ran deep, wedging into his mind and soul. She could see it spread throughout until only a faint glimmer remained. Even in his worst days, Fox could never truly succumb. She had to believe in that. Yet still, his tirade continued unabated.

"You know, I don't mind that we were used by Corneria, hell, the pay was good. But in the end, I asked myself every day if it was worth it… But I got my answer, gods damned Krystal...She destroyed everything we worked for! Turned her back on everyone! Just to get back at me! If she wanted to kill me or take revenge just on me?! I would have been fine with that! But no! She had to go the extra mile and hurt everyone else while dating that shit heel Panther and rub it in my fucking face! What the fuck did I do to deserve that?!"

Krystal's ears wilted while her tail coiled nervously around a leg. The pain of her sins was laid out before her so plainly by the man she truly loved as he let out what could only be a decade and more of pain and frustration. Yet, where it should have soothed his anger, It just seemed to compound the issue as his inner light faded. Krystal wanted it to end, Fox had never deserved that treatment. Not for wanting to protect her.

"Now look where I am. Talking to gods that don't exist, begging for help and getting no answer." His voice was a harsh growl. "Typical, I do everything I can to do the right thing and get nowhere. Even when I win, I lose. Maybe I should have been more like Panther or Wolf."

That sentence was like a punch to the gut, she grimaced and closed her eyes. That he would even compare himself to someone like Panther, yet even sardonically jest about being like that buffoon or the opportunist Wolf had once been.

_No Fox, you were everything I wanted. You're nothing like Panther. I should have stayed and fought for my spot by your side. I knew something was wrong… I just didn't say anything._

"Guess I wasn't good enough, just like I'm not good enough to get help from this bullshit religion. Fine. Whatever, I'll just do as I always do. Kill for money." She watched as Fox placed his palms in his pants after throwing his blaster and ascot on the floor. His face was one of pure anger as he stalked away with that dingy tail puffed out and flowing behind him. His ears flat against his skull, radiating that blistering hate and total defeat.

_You are good enough, don't sink that low. Please._

The world around her seemed to shift rapidly, what had become just a stare at his past and sensing his emotions was becoming a vast reflection. Her vision moved out of focus with everything becoming a blur only for it rapidly focus back in. Instead of sitting outside or having an out of body experience, she was sitting in someone else's head almost, seeing through their eyes. It was then she realized where her mind had taken her. The dash said it all, and the world screaming as it rushed up to meet her. Fire licked at the windows of the triangular cockpit of an Arwing. Fingerless gloves with orange tipped digits gripped the control stick in panic while the system's computer shouted at her of an imminent impact.

 _Oh no… Gods, please, not like this, I don't want to see this._ Krystal tried her best to break the connection, to flee from what she was about to witness; but to no avail.

The world below was swiftly coming up to greet her as she watched on helplessly, observing as Fox did everything he could to try and save himself. An ejection seat that far in enemy territory was suicide. The one thing that crushed her the most, however, was hooked just behind the Navcom, was a picture of her, smiling and in her old outfit from the days just before and after the aparoid invasion. He had taken a picture of her when victory was declared. She looked messy and tired but wore a beaming smile of pride and relief was one of their more real moments between each other. His eyes drifted to the picture. Fox felt it, and thus she felt it too.

He wasn't walking out of this one. It was a terrifying feeling to know death was approaching and not a thing you could do about it. She heard his voice, forlorn and lost as it echoed within her mind.

 _I'm sorry Angel, I'm sorry for everything._ _Please, if you can hear me, Forgive me._

Krystal screamed with all her might even though she knew full well that Fox could not hear her. She poured her heart out, telling him she forgave him, that she loved him with all her being. But the only answer she got was the sound of a crash, metal grinding, and shearing coupled with the telltale emissions of glass shattering and then… nothing.

Aquamarine eyes flew open in pain. The vixen clutched the sides of her head as it hammered away. The emotional duress sent her spiraling as she bent over, retching once, and then twice as the contents of her breakfast came up into a nearby wastebasket. She had promised to not cry again, not until she found Fox. That promised died instantly as she realized just how far her actions went. Her hero, her love, the man that was everything to her. Was lost. She had destroyed him so utterly, so completely. That his once pure heart was so faded and tarnished, it would take a real miracle to bring Fox to the man she knew. If it were even possible.

Krystal wept, not for herself; the vixen knew she didn't deserve pity. Instead, those tears were shed because of the man she had taken from the galaxy. Much like she had been brought low and muddied. Fox had fallen much harder as all his burdens, fears, and pain came to the forefront. Emotions he had buried for almost a decade had been laid bare. A lifetime worth of suffering was experienced in just a scant few seconds. Even with her newly built mental fortress, it was too much. Her latent rage was silent, unable to even spark with what was just witnessed. Krystal knew she had been the straw that finally broke his back. The one emotion that kept him from the brink through all those trials. Sauria, The Aparoid Invasion, all the missions in between and finally some vain hope had remained in him through the Blitz. He still held onto that crucial emotion; love. Krystal understood better than ever that she had robbed him of that. He had made the first mistake, but instead of stopping it before it began, she gave in and let her own grief destroy them both. She sobbed with guilt-wracked heaves of her chest and curled into a ball around the pistol and scarf. Quietly apologizing over and over, not even noticing the door to her room open and a horrified Mianikai staring on before she rushed over to try and figure out what went wrong.

"Krystal! Talk to me! What's wrong?!" The red panda urged. The cerulean vixen tried to formulate words, but all that came out were those choked sobs and heaves of a woman who had just witnessed a great tragedy and was near inconsolable. In a flash of desperation, Mia knew there was one thing she had to do to get the vixen to calm herself. She moved the sorrowful vixen into position until their foreheads touched and she whispered in the most calming voice that she could muster.

"Krystal… listen to me. Heed my voice, focus on it. Deep breaths, I can only help you if you center yourself. Please, hear me." She repeated that phrase over and over again. Paws resting upon both sides of the azure vixens white cheek fluffs. Tenderly stroking her paws through the fur as she tried to soothe her friend.

Slowly but surely Krystal came down from her pain-induced moment. Tears still stained her features before looking up at Mia, managing to finally croak out.

"I didn't just break him… I corrupted him."

Mia frowned sadly, the vixen knew the truth of the matter. They had not told Krystal just what lay in Fox McCloud's heart. The priests and monks understood that Krystal had to witness it for herself. To truly comprehend the monumental undertaking she had before her. She wasn't just trying to find Fox and bring him home. Krystal would have to help Fox find the hero within again, to purify his very being which had been consumed by his suffering.

Much like Krystal had rebuilt herself with her faith, Fox needed something to help him. Or in this case, someone. Fox had no religion, and his family was limited. The todd had a penchant for not offloading his baggage on anyone else, he kept it bottled up. She had been his only outlet, his anchor that kept everything in check. The todd had pushed her away foolishly out of love. What had transpired afterward was all her fault.

The red panda pulled Krystal into a tight, comforting hug and lay the vixens head upon her shoulder. A tender almost sibling-like paw began to stroke through her long cobalt locks. The red panda attempted to soothe her as much as she possibly could. "I'm sorry you had to see that Krystal. Do you understand now what you face?"

Krystal nodded, her mind and soul burned with so many emotions. She knew not where she stood.

"Don't give in," Mia whispered. "You've come so far. Don't slide back." Her words were encouraging, soothing. "You are the only one who can reawaken him. He hurts, he loves and bleeds just like everyone else. The only difference is that he gave into his anger and grief. You faced it and conquered it. He needs you now more than ever. You have the tools and means to find him."

Krystal looked at Mia with total confusion. "No, I gave in first, which is why I am here… Who would want to see me after what I did? I saw **-everything-.** I never knew Fox could hate so much, I never…"

"Krystal, please. He does not hate you, I promise you that. He only ever spoke highly of you, but the pain mixed with a lack of answer from the gods drove him over the edge. He sought answers that were not coming. It's why we were unable to help him. I am sad to say the gods are rather picky about who they help. Even if a man such as he is deserving of all the help in the galaxy." Mia frowned quietly and shook her head. "I wish it were not so. But, you cannot give up Krystal, you are his saving grace. Without you, he is lost. Are you truly going to fail him again?"

Krystal wiped tears from her eyes as she looked at the red panda. The cobalt vixen remembering her dream. That Ceria had told her to listen to Mianikai, the woman having her best interests at heart.

"No… I won't fail him again, but, I don't think I can do this alone, I don't know the systems, or it's people. I have no idea where to start looking. I thought the echoes might tell me, but I received nothing."

The red panda nodded gently and placed a placating paw upon her cheek. "Which is why I'm going with you."

The azure vixen blinked in surprise. "What? I don't understand."

"The divines came to me last night. They told me it was my mission to help you, that you would need someone to guide you. And given what you've told me, it's pretty clear. I'm familiar with the neighboring systems, and I know where to look and gather information."

Krystal looked at the woman dubiously. "How?"

"I did a stint as a bounty hunter before I became a Monk. Lots of fighting and war, I thrived off of the hunt and violence for a very long time. It was the only thing that kept me going. At least until I answered the call of the gods."

"I see…" The two parted from their embrace as she sat back on her haunches quietly. "Could you teach me?"

Mia blinked. "To hunt? Krystal, that's a precarious life and a slippery slope. One that you don't easily slide back from."

"I wager that, but, I've already lived a life similar to it, and I feel as though my investigation will be hampered if people recognize me. I need to be able to move freely without folks seeing me from a mile away."

"Hard to do that with the blue fur Krystal, not to mention the eyes and the hair. Cerinians are very distinct."

Krystal grunted and sighed. "Suppose I could dye my hair, put on contacts to hide my eye color… but… the fur color." she thinks about it for a moment and snaps her forepaw and thumb together as an idea came forth "I got it!"

"Oh?"

"Mhmm, it's a trick Cerinians used when going abroad sometimes, especially into more hostile areas. We could mess with our aura and people's perceptions of us to make us look different than we really are. It was an illusion of sorts. Only people with good mental discipline and a keen eye can see through it. So a few alterations of perceptions and my aura, I could make subtle changes to appear different enough to not look exactly like me… which means I'll have to come up with a different name, could probably alter my voice slightly with that trick do. It'll take some work and concentration so I can do it off the cuff. Maybe a change in outfit as well… and my ship." She sighed, the vixen not having enough credits to get a full overhaul of her vessel.

Mia, seeing the forlorn look on her friends face smiled. "Don't worry about that, it's taken care of."

"Uhh…What?"

"We're modifying it so it can fit two people comfortably, giving it a new coat of paint and tuning your engines alongside your weapons. And updating your Navcom." Mia spoke as she sat across from Krystal. "A week tops according to the shipwrights."

The vixen, needless to say, was perplexed. "Why are you being so generous? What have I done to deserve such kindness? Let alone I don't think I'm comfortable accepting such charity."

"You're the last known survivor of your species, hunting for the man you love along the path of redemption for both of your sins. There is no greater cause than anyone here at the temple can think of that is more deserving of our assistance. I mean, sure, you'll owe us a favor or three." Mia giggled. "It's not **completely** altruistic."

Krystal smirked lightly. "No, I didn't think it was, but I don't mind owing favors for this kind of assistance. I really mean it when I say this, thank you from the bottom of my heart. A week for them to modify the ship then? Gives me time to get some alternate attire and work on my illusion…"

"That and travel time between systems will help. But I know a place we should stop that's between here and the nearest system. It's a bounty hunters haven on a station in a remote system. Jobs, information, everything gets traded there. Neutral territory so no one will be shooting or getting up in your face, at least not physically." Mia explained.

"So, what I'm getting from this, it's going to be a dive, or some sort of seedy place, where a bunch of sweaty men and probably a few women come to drink, whore, and do who knows only what else. All manner of crude and rude language being shouted and such?"

"Spot on Krystal."

"Sounds like fun… I should probably come up with a name…" A gentle blink and she chuckled at the thought that crossed her mind. "Nevermind, I have the perfect alias to go incognito."

"Oh?" Said Mia, curious.

"Kursed."

"Sounds… actually no, that will work. Bounty hunters aren't notoriously original with their aliases or names. It'll suit you I think." Mia spoke with a cheeky grin.

"Perfect then, let's get started."

**2 Weeks later**

"Kursed" and Mianikai had been traveling for a full week aboard the heavily modified Cloudrunner towards their destination. The large bounty hunter station aptly named Haven. The last known outpost within a few thousand light years between a vast gulf of stars known as the Verdant Abyss and the nearest system of Svestruga. The previously mentioned nebula was called such due to the nearby gas cloud that spanned a few thousand light years, a beautiful sight that local legend said held within it untold riches and a small paradise if you could find it. Others said it connected to the beyond and that the land of the dead was nearest. No one really tested these as they were not suicidal.

The reason for visiting the wretched hive of scum and villainy was information. Mia had directed her coworker to the station. The red panda had some old contacts that would hopefully yield some tidbits of information, perhaps someone had seen Fox when he passed through. It was unlikely, but the chance for even a breadcrumb was enough. Not to mention finding jobs to keep them afloat with credits and precious metals would be an immense boon as it would provide fuel, weapons, ammo and other various essentials. The economic gain would also open doors to grease a few palms for knowledge or favors. Krystal and Mia strode confidently down the hall towards the central commons in the station. For a place that had a reputation, it was meticulously maintained and well guarded in case anyone got ideas. Various stalls and areas for food, weapons, and equipment were scattered, even places for ship parts. However, it was the one place that caught their eye, and that was the Bounty Hunters Guild. The two made a beeline through the bustling crowd of various species, scents of who knows how many different mammals, avians and lizards filled the recycled air within the facility. Coupled with a multitude of different planetary cuisines it made for an interesting amalgamation of smells.

Krystal had opted to wear a simple purple shirt with a beige vest lined with pockets with the zipper up the middle undone. Long blue jeans that went down to her ankles and just above a pair of black combat boots. Mia, on the other hand, went for something a bit more traditional from Indosha. As the red panda had explained, the clergy, no matter the faith had immunity on the station. None could touch her, and those that tried to would find themselves being thrown into their ship and banished from the station, or jettisoned if the crime was grave enough. The red panda was garbed in the traditional traveling robes of her people, gentle blues and greens swirled along the robes left to right in a bi-color fashion. Where one color would end the other would pick up. A satchel and belt carried various medicines and holy items that would allow Mia to perform her sacred duties and act as a doctor should she encounter any sick or wounded in need of treatment. Of course, Mia was no fool, this was a world she had left long ago. Upon her right hip was a holstered blaster should it be needed. A few individuals from Indoshan or those of the faith recognized her garb, opting to show the proper respect. Krystal to say the least was perplexed.

"I feel like Lylat was an anomaly. I've never seen so many faithful in a long time." She uttered. Grateful that her two weeks of preparation had paid off. Her appearance to various species making her look unassuming and unrecognizable as Krystal. She had gone with projecting herself as a combat-hardened veteran, scars, one blind eye and a gait that told her she was not to be messed with.

"The universe is as diverse as it is a mystery and homogenous. Neither is a defacto state, they just are. Some are theists, other atheists. We do not discriminate based on faith. If they are in need, the faithful of Indosha will help regardless."

"Very noble of your people Mia. I am just glad your people did not suffer the same fate as mine."

Mia nodded solemnly to her friend as the pair made it down the gunmetal grey hall lit by bright neon lights. The door to the guild was a bulkhead in the shape of a circle, heavily armored to withstand powerful weapons and possibly more. The door's sensor read movement, promptly spun three times and opened in the middle, permitting the vixen and red panda entry. The door slammed shut and secured itself behind them, the pair of women began to take in the sites before them. Mercenaries of differing breeds, species, and groups were chatting amongst themselves. Some held weapons, others were consulting the bounty boards. It was the head of the guild they sought, or at least someone beneath that person as they made their way further in. The Clerk at the desk moving a holo interface before her. She appeared to be a fox of some kind, but with the most bright silver fur, Krystal had ever laid eyes on. Similar to Fox, she had never seen a vulpine with such strange colorations before.

"One moment." the vixen's gruff voice spoke up before her pads finished and sent off whatever it was she was typing. "So what can I do for… Holy shit!" She yelped in surprise, grey eyes going wide as she gazed at Krystal. "Good gods girl, don't give a woman a heart attack! You look like death!"

The candor was undoubtedly appreciated as Krystal grinned wickedly. She was quite happy her illusion was holding up under close scrutiny. It was best to let her friend be the face though, the azure vixen was just there to look intimidating. After the silvery vixen recovered from her near heart attack, she noticed the red panda off to the side who was far more friendly looking than the vixen who seemed like she went through the grinder. "Ahem.. ah.. Hello, how can I help you two?"

Mia beamed with all smiles. "Apologies for my friend, but she's my coworker, bodyguard if you will.

"Of course, what can the guild do for you Miss…?"

"Mianikai, but please, just call me Mia. The vixen here is Kursed."

"A… pleasure Mia." The vixen spoke hesitantly. "I'm Saela. How can I be of assistance?"

Mia beamed with those bright jade eyes. "We're looking for someone, but also looking for work. If anyone can help us, it's certainly the guild, I used to work for you lot back a few years before joining the clergy on Indosha."

Saela blinked once as she began to run the name through the database. The silver-toned vixen found her quickly and blinked. Her eyes locking with the cheerful looking red panda compared to the taciturn and ready to fight woman on the screen with a list of accolades and accomplishments that were befitting a war hero. "Quite a career you had."

"Yes, I was very good at what I did. Still, have the skills, but that's not why we're here."

"Of course Mia, I'll reactivate your membership and your… friend here will be on a joint account trial basis until she's fully cleared. As for who are you hunting, got a description and a name?"

As Mia went about describing Fox and his appearance, Krystal looked about the place. It wasn't too shabby, well maintained, the bounty hunters actually looked semi-respectable. There was one gentleman that for reasons unknown who stuck out to her. A portly badger, easily into his winter years and with the scars he toted indicated he was a veteran of many battles. His outfit was a simple blue t-shirt and a pair of black slacks. Krystal opted to make her way over, boots thumping lightly off the metal until she was beside the man. "Pardon… might I have some words with you?"

The old badger's head canted up, piercing red eyes gazing at the vixen who stood before him. Curiosity at first but slowly turned into a grin. "Well, I'll be…" He said in a whisper loud enough for only them to hear. "A Cerinian, here I thought you were all dead." As Krystal reacted he stuck a palm up in peace. "Easy girl, I'm not gonna out you, please, sit. It's been a very long time since I had the pleasure of a Cerinian's company."

Krystal was dubious at best, but general curiosity had gotten the better of her. The vixen sat across from the old man, never peeling her eyes off him. "How…"

"Did I know?" He smiled quietly. "I was married to a Cerinian at one point, it's an experience you don't ever forget. Vera was her name. Most beautiful vixen I ever met. An' seeing another Cerinian after so long? It does my heart good to know the race isn't dead. Seems there's some hope left for your kind… ah, but don't mind me and my ramblings. My love showed me how to see past that little filter you have going."

Krystal nodded quietly and eyed the man, thus far his mind had been an open book, she had been probing him ever since the start. It now made sense. However, she found traces of a mental bond that was left behind. He had indeed been the husband of a Cerinian… a rather potent psionic from the residual telepathic energy left behind. What were the odds? Perhaps it was a sign from the gods that she had their favor. There was something about the man though, something vaguely familiar as if she were greeting an old grandfather after they went missing for an eternity. Krystal merely shook it off as the residue messing with her perceptions.

"What can I do for you miss? My name is Bryn."

"A pleasure Bryn… I understand now why I was drawn over here. It's been a while since I've seen that kind of energy resonate off of anyone." The vixen replied.

"Ahah, I see. Well, sorry I didn't turn out to be a Cerinian like you." The old man smiled, his teeth were almost impeccable.

"No worries, it's a minor comfort at least. I was hoping actually, given your… veterancy, you might be able to tell me more about the region. We're looking for someone and going to be moving on towards Svestruga, maybe you've seen who I am looking for?"

The badger nodded. "Always happy to help a fellow hunter, go on then." Krystal ran him the play by play. How the todd looked, how he talked and carried himself. The badger closed his eyes as he listened and pictured the individual. "Yeah… yeah… I remember; actually, he came through here. Poor bastard looked like he'd been through the worst kind of hell. Came in looking for work but with how unstable he appeared, they turned him away. That was nigh… six months ago, maybe more. My memory is not what it used to be."

Krystal swallowed and took a deep breath. "I… see. Do you know where he might have gone?" Hope was laden within her voice. The male could hear it with ease and see it in her eyes.

"Who is this man to you…" A flash of recognition raced across Bryn's eyes, though well on in his years, they carried with them what seemed to be boundless energy. "Hrmm, yes I recognize you now. The vixen from Lylat." Everything fell into place for the old man as it clicked. The vixen across from him, the hunt for a man who was lost and unstable. It seemed cosmic coincidences were all over the place for him today. "Yes, yes. If he went anywhere Miss, it was Svestruga, it's the closest system that has a habitable world besides Indoshan. Though it's far from the safest place."

"I can take care of myself," Krystal spoke indignantly.

"Never said you couldn't, but fair warning. There have been some problems between here and there."

"Problems?"

"Aye, big time pirate lord has been causing hell for the shipping lanes and jump lanes between here and Svestruga. Entire convoys go missing for weeks at a time and turn up with their crews either dead or restrained, and the cargo holds emptied. Other times the ships go unmolested, it' bizarre. There's also the Khanates. Big warrior band that controls more than a few hyperlanes between here and there. Normally hands off unless it's a big convoy. They might be a source of untapped information for you if you're willing to risk it."

"I see… so, going towards Svestruga begs caution."

"Indeed, as for your friend. I'm sorry I can't help more."

"You've done more than enough Bryn." Her snout conveying gratitude to the old badger "Thank you, you've given me a lead to go on and a ray of hope."

"Good luck girl, hope you find him."

"You and me both."

The two females had been moving simultaneously. Mia seemed to be hurrying along "Kursed! Someone fitting Fox's description was last seen heading towards…"

"Svestruga!" She shot back.

Mia blinked, and head tilted "How?"

The vixen gestured over her shoulder to the elderly badger who waved to Mia warmly. Mia's head tilted as she did a double take. For some reason, the badger struck her as familiar with an almost loving aura about him that didn't seem quite normal. The old badger wiggled his fingers at her in grandfatherly greeting before turning back to his datapad. With a shake of her head, the red panda dismissed it before continuing on.

"Lucky us then, Saela informed me that there's a convoy coming through and due to the danger of some pain in the ass pirate and the Khanates; we're better off signing up with them. They're likely to pick up a few hired guns along with their security escort going through the Abyss towards Svestruga."

Krystal nodded in thought. Humming in her throat. "Yea, alright. Sounds good. Saela!" Krystal barked. The silvery vixen jumping almost a foot in the air. "Y-yes?"

"Put our contracts for the convoy coming through, we'll be joining up if they need the extra guns."

"Right… They'll be here in a few hours. So you have some time to spare."

Hours would pass, the contract was taken up, and soon they were off into the Verdant Abyss as escorts, kept in the middle cargo ships hangar of which she had no care to learn the hauler's name. As it turned out, the convoy was four cargo ships plus escort in the shape of two Battlecruisers and four Destroyers armed to the teeth.

Krystal and Mia kept themselves isolated from the fleet pilots as well as the other mercs the convoy had picked up. Time progressed at a snail's pace for the pair, but they made good use of it. The two females began double checking, even triple checking their equipment and that the newly modified Cloudrunner to ensure she was ready and fit for battle. Space Dynamics was a cut above the rest, but the Indoshans had perfected the gull-shaped craft. What was once a heavy interceptor was now a veritable weapons platform at the cost of maneuverability but had significantly enhanced speed. It did have a drawback that not even the Indoshans master shipwrights could fix, and that was power consumption. All the weapons onboard could not be enabled at once with the shields and her engines along with other essential systems. She had to choose which weapon to use based on the threat at hand. However, her standard lasers and hyper lasers would likely do the trick, barring immediate unforeseen risks. Even the heaviest shields still couldn't hold up under a barrage of the errant blue blasts. The newest additions to her ship were a series of underbelly and dorsal mounted missile racks concealed beneath the metal plates. Fifty tubes each for a total of four hundred missiles that came coupled with the Nova Bombs she brought with her from Lylat. That part of her arsenal alone was more than capable of multi-target engagement in three-hundred and sixty-degree arcs. The Cloudrunner would make short work of swarms of fighters or drones. That or barrage a small ship into oblivion with the payload.

The hull of the craft while still maintaining its original design had become more substantial. The fighter was not quite a bomber but was teetering on heavy fighter size with the wings slightly adjusted higher on the hull for better lift in the atmosphere. The cockpit itself was moved into the front of the ship and reinforced, rather than hanging out above as a ripe target. The craft as it was, had the firepower and speed of a small Corvette-class ship packed into a much smaller hull and a cross section that was incredibly sleek and narrow which would make it harder to detect via sensor suites. The shields were still strong, but several more features had been added after the Indoshan shipwrights had noticed a severe lack in several defensive systems. They were perplexed by the complete absence of countermeasures towards certain weapons, namely missiles and other projectile weapons. When asked about this; Krystal had to explain warfare in Lylat was mostly based around energy weapons and missiles, but the shield tech was strong enough to withstand most missile impacts, and the Arwings with their derivatives were able to target missiles fast enough for the most part. In a pinch, a Nova bomb could be used as the shields would protect them from the blast.

Naturally, this flabbergasted the engineers and sent them right to work. If the missiles in Lylat were indeed that weak, she needed an upgrade. Defensive countermeasures in the form of ECM and deployable "Noise" makers would confuse most missiles and even point defense systems on larger ships. To solve; or rather alleviate the lack of defense against projectile based weapons. The indoshans outfitted the Cloudrunner with Ablative Armor which would chip off or fragment thus deflecting or reducing significant damage when impacted by bullets or cannons, even missiles effectiveness would be cut in half. Though that would usually be for one impact which meant she needed to be more careful afterward.

When the Indoshans were done, the Cloudrunner was overhauled entirely and fit for survival in the far reaches outside of Lylat. They had even repainted the vessel upon her request, instead of the faded blue and white. The ship was now painted a dull green on the G-diffusers and worn gunmetal black upon the rest of the ship. Designed to give it a wear and tear look. Mostly unrecognizable with how the hull was reconstructed. The Cloudrunner now looked more like a sort of dart-shaped craft with backswept wings. A kind of hallmark from the old Arwing designs.

How they managed to pull it off in just a week? Krystal could only imagine many overnight shifts and lack of sleep had been the determiner of their success. Let alone with the complexities of dealing with technology not their own. The Indoshan people were a brilliant group for sure. Krystal now understood why they had been successful in defense of their world where hers had fallen to Andross. Her experience planetside made the vixen reflect that not everything was horrible, that there were still good and kind people in the universe. Their charity was not something she felt that she deserved, but they had insisted. Thus, Krystal relented and accepted their help, she owed them favors now which was a small price considering how much she owed them for all the aid and giving her a trail to find her beloved Fox.

It was during the pre-flight checks that she reflected on all this and more. She was ready, her soul was hardened, her mind shielded and in control. Krystal knew she could confront Fox and hopefully bring him back around to the sound and decent man he was before. It would be tough, emotions would run high and who knows what else could happen.

_Hopefully a lot of good things._

The cobalt vixen was far from naive, it would be a tough road and a bridge burned like that would take some time to repair. She was determined though. Krystal knew in her heart she wanted to spend her life at Fox's side.

_If only I had seen his true intent sooner…_

The Cerinian shook her head and scrunched her eyes. The time for dwelling on the past was done. Her mistakes were apparent, and now her road forward was visible. Krystal was thorough in her checks, missiles were ready, Nova Bombs good to go and the cyclic rate of the electro-plasma systems was top notch. Her ship couldn't be any more prepared if she tried.

Mia had been busy with the navigation and targeting systems. The Cockpit having been refitted to sit two in a single line. The red panda would be sitting behind Krystal relaying tactical and strategic information while focusing on the secondary weapons like missiles and nova bombs.

Minutes felt like hours as Krystal found her mind wandering to Fox, what would she say to him? How would he even react to seeing her? Most of all, would he even want to speak?

It left a flurry of fear in her stomach when there came a sudden banging on the side of her ship. Krystal blinked in confusion.

_Who the hell would be dumb enough to suddenly come knocking on a Bounty Hunter's ship?_

"Mia, could you go see who the idiot is? I'm still checking the ships power systems to make sure I understand them fully."

"Sure thing Krystal."

The cobalt vixen tapped away on the holosuite within the cockpit, testing one system and then another. The vixen's ears perked as she heard boots on the deck plate; only to turn and spy a confused Mia.

"Something wrong?"

"Not sure, there's this big cat outside with a stripe on his cheek, says he recognizes your fighter…" Mia was skeptical but upon hearing Krystal's groan of frustration as she ground her teeth together.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me. How in Lylat would he recognize the ship? Not only that, but he followed my arse all the way out here?! He just can't take no for an answer can he!?"

Mia blinked at the reaction, not having expected that. "Uhmmm?"

Krystal sighed in vexation as she leaned back in her chair. "How can he recognize the Cloudrunner, it looks completely different… just… just go and tell him he's mistaken and go away."

"Did that… he's quite persistent and sure that it's your ship. Said a bunch of flowery nonsense to."

"Yea… that's Panther… gods dammit all. Alright… I'll go deal with him, finish the diagnostic here would you?"

Krystal was less than thrilled at the prospect as he began her way down the hall and the off-ramp that would lead to the flight deck. A grimace on her snout as she descended, the sealed part coming over her head. Lo and behold, there he was. Her perception filter was still on so hopefully it would…

"Hello, my Rose."

_Fuck._

Krystal facepalmed. _So much for that vain hope._ She took a deep heavy breath and then looked up at Panther with her aquamarine eyes. "What in the hell are you doing here Panther? I thought I made it clear I wanted not a thing to do with you."

"Come now my sweet, we both know you would not leave Panth…"

"Panther so help me if you don't stop talking in the third person right now, I will strike you so hard between your legs those raisinettes you call testicles will leap up your throat and out your mouth."

The cat went open-mouthed at the crude insult, let alone the threat. Krystal had never dared to talk back to him like that! Let alone in such an obscene fashion. What had transpired out in the reaches that had made her so short tempered?

"Hello... Telepath, I can hear your thoughts, Panther. The simple fact of the matter is, I don't want anything to do with you. I've been out here for half a year hunting for Fox, and you come chasing after me like some lost kitten?! I told you back on Corneria Panther, we're done, over with, finished! What don't you get?! Or is your ego so grandiose that you can't possibly believe I would turn away from you?"

Once more for the second time in his life. Panther was struck speechless. Krystal had been a delicate flower back on Corneria. Someone who needed protection and love, but now, after six months of separation and him tracking her down. Krystal had become hardened, independent… and very strong. Panther felt his heart blanch, gone was the rose without its thorns. What stood before him was no girl, but a woman, full in her prime and ready to kill with her sights on him and ready to pull the trigger. However, the large jungle cat was far from dissuaded, this newer deadlier version of Krystal only enticed him further, seeing her as something to be tamed now rather than...

"Telepath you mong!" She snapped. "That's another reason why I left, you never understood that! I could and still hear every salacious thought while you eye fucked me day after day. Nary a thought to the romantic portion. I was just an object of lust to you, and now? You view me as someone to be tamed, not loved and wooed. Not even Fox was like that! He at least looked at me like a person! By the Gods and all that is holy! What the hells did I see in you!?"

Panther winced. "Please, Krystal, give Pan… give me a chance! Let me prove to you I can be your lover, your mate!" it was clear the cat was having trouble not using his name in the third person. It was almost funny to the azure vixen, and she would have laughed had she not been positively livid.

"You had your chance Panther, but you showed me that you're nothing more than a womanizer. I was a thing to you! After the first few months, all emotional fulfillment went out the window! Especially with the confrontations that involved Fox. I was a gods be damned trophy to you, and you used me as such! Or do you not remember that?!" Krystal was far from calm, the way she shouted attracted a few eyes, but it was nobody's business. A few did watch on mirthfully as the vixen who looked like she had been through the wringer chewed out a cat twice her size in height with not a hint of fear in her voice, but raw unsuppressed anger. Krystal remembered the times when she indulged in that game… how they would flirt and call each other endearments over the open comms during battle. She knew damn well what she had done and how much it must have hurt Fox. The anger she felt was at both herself and Panther, more so at herself for being so weak and not seeing Panther for the kind of individual he was. Let alone indulging herself in such vindictive behavior. Krystal knew she was far from innocent, but she would rather damn herself then let Panther wedge himself back into her life. "I made a mistake in you, that's all you were Panther. A mistake, one I will **not** repeat again. Now, go back to Lylat before I throw you out the airlock." She threw everything they had done back into the cats face. Krystal had long since accepted responsibility for her actions and moved on from him. The vixen's eyes were rife with genuine hate and anger for only the second time in her life.

Panther bared his fangs. "You came to Star Wolf, you came to me! Don't act so high and mighty! I gave you my attention and heart! Just because I wasn't like that fool, McCloud doesn't mean I didn't feel anything!"

Krystal flippantly waved an armored glove in Panther's face. "Please, McCloud may have made mistakes, but at least he did so out of love! The only reason you're here is that of your wounded pride." She snapped. "Which was the exact same reason I went to you. You were revenge to me, a tool. I forgot everything I was. Not anymore, I remember who I am and where I came from. Now, this is your last warning. Get the hells away from me and go home."

Panther balled his fists in hopeless anger. He had lost everything in Lylat, chased this vixen in hopes he might still have something to show for it after everything fell apart. However, Panther as an individual was not keen on losing. He reared back ready to strike Krystal, revealing his true colors. With a swipe that was quick as lightning, he swung but only found purchase in empty air.

Krystal bent like a reed in the wind, having anticipated his attack. Her staff extended with blinding speed and came about to trip the feline as it swept across the backs of his knees. The move propelled the jungle cat onto his back. To his credit, Panther rolled expertly with the hit and brought a rather brutal knife from the back of his pants, fangs bared. Krystal, however, fell into a calm fluid stance, her staff held at the haft with the lower end pressed against her back, the head aimed at the floor. "The fact you drew a weapon on me Panther, tells me everything I need to know. You claim to love me, yet I defy you and tell you to leave, your first instinct is violence. To try and subdue me, as if that would make me love you. Well… come on then, this has been a long time coming."

Panther hissed in anger, for the first time in his life, Panther was tasting bitter defeat. Things always went well for him, if violence did not work, generally charming them did. His white fangs were bared as a crowd began to gather. Krystal was **his** , at least in his mind she was. He would die before letting her go, the one thing he valued more than himself. Or at the least, that's how he justified his actions to himself. In the end, Panther loved only one thing truly, and that was himself. He was not used to being told no, not getting what he wanted.

"One way or another Krystal, you will be mine!" He snapped. His whole world unraveling. "Dead or alive, you belong to me!"

Krystal eyed him. "I belong to no one Panther, I am my own woman. Last chance. Not you, Not Fox, not anyone."

"Then why search for him?! If he does not own you, why do you care?" Panther demanded as the two began to slowly circle one another. A crowd had gathered, and bets began to get placed as the two mercenaries began preparing for a fight. Events like this were not uncommon and made for an excellent source of entertainment. Even deck security was getting in on the gambling action. Various species grinning ear to ear as Panther made the first lunge, swiping at Krystal with his long serrated knife. The vixen nimbly sidestepping the swing as she stayed at a distance. Anytime he would try to close she would swipe with the staff, the gold and blue rod whipping the air.

"Why? Because he's the only one, who cared about me as more than a teammate, more than family. But he took it slow, just as he always does outside the cockpit. It's a flaw and a blessing that he's cautious. Unlike you who dove head first and wanted me as a status symbol. I was just too stupid in my own anger to see it."

Panther rolled his eyes but never let his guard down. "What love is there in kicking someone out of your life?"

"To protect them, Panther. Something you would not understand." She retorted. "It was stupid of him, on that we can agree. What I did was far worse though. I realize that now, and it's on me to make things right."

"By crawling back to him on hands and knees… Hrmph, I bet McCloud would love that." The cat spoke in an intensely derisive mocking tone. Panther was looking to bristle the vixen and unfortunately for him; it worked.

Her hackles rose, and that tail flared out. She did not rage nor did she give into the rabid bloodlust. Instead, she slammed her staff's butt into the deck plating, directing its energy and her own across the floor. The metal deck plates began to groan in complaint as they rattled and sounded as though they were about to sheer right off. The look on Panther's face conveyed no shortage of fear and great concern from all the racket. The cat unable to remain stable when was suddenly, he found himself up in the air, propelled by a deck plate that jutted up from below. To his shock and continued abrupt lapse with gravity, his predicament became far worse as Krystal launched into the air with her muscles enhanced by her psionics. That staff she bore came crashing down with a look of murder in both her eyes at being so insulted; degraded by someone who claimed to love her. When she felt the jarring sensation of impact combined with The sound of cracked bones filling the air. Krystal felt naught, but satisfaction as Caroso was propelled into the metal plates below. Away from the one that jutted up, so she did not impale him.

Everyone in the room groaned in pain from the sheer collective agony Panther must have felt. Krystal landed not a second later upon Caroso's stomach. Bright turquoise gem staring him right in the face and glowing a menacing red. "You don't **ever** talk about me like that again. You don't come near me, you don't speak my name. If I ever see you again Panther, I will kill you. Are we clear?"

It was clear to everyone that the vixen was not fooling around. With some reluctance, Panther admitted defeat and nodded his head while blood trickled out the side of his mouth. Her head rose and saw the crowd staring at her with a mixture of awe and fear. Cerulean eyes gazed at the gathered crowd with little regard for them. Her voice was callous when Krystal spoke. "What? Get one of your goons to clean this up. I'll pay for the repairs to the deck plate. As for that piece of shit? Do what you want with him. I don't care."

As she turned about a sudden very familiar and deep voice filled the air. "But I do." Krystal's head whipped around, and her eyes went wide at who she saw.

"Wolf?! The bloody hell are you doing here?!"

Wolf O'Donnell bore that trademark grin with the leather duster and all as he moved over the deck towards the scene; taking in the sorry state of Panther as he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "Shoulda listened to the lil' lady Panther. She was always out of your league… As to answer your question, came out here with Leon for two reasons. One, to make sure you were fine, an' two." He said and proceeded to kick Panther in the ribs who cried out in pain as the broken ribs were only exacerbated. "Drag this piece of shit back to Lylat to answer for some rather interesting crimes. The assassination of Cornerian Officials, Gun Smuggling onto Corneria, oh, and get this, a Counterfeit credit operation."

Krystal blinked and looked down at Panther then back to Wolf. "Isn't that some of the stuff you did?"

The lupine shook his head. "I didn't mess with Corneria, they didn't mess with me. The only time we got involved is if someone came pokin' around my territory. This piece of shit nearly cost us everything back home. So to clear our names… **again** … We had to come out here lookin' for his bum ass."

"B-but Wolf… C'mon man!" **Crack!** The feline yowled again as pain screamed through his body.

"I'm not your boss, I'm not your friend, shit, I'm not your anything but a bounty hunter come to collect. Leon!"

"Yea Wolf?" The lizard seemed to emerge into existence that caught more than a few by surprise as the crowd quickly dispersed. The momentary entertainment gone like a wisp of smoke. "Take him back to the Wolfen and get him in cuffs. Then patch him up, so he doesn't bleed everywhere. I'm going to catch up with Blue."

"Why do I have to babysit the idiot?"

"Because shit rolls downhill, Leon."

The lizard grumbled in a complaint but did as he was told. "C'mon then…"

It was strange seeing Leon drag Panther away like that. Never had Krystal imagined that Wolf would be the one to do it. Honestly, she always thought someone would kill him first after getting their fingers around his throat.

"Catching up?" She enquired.

"Yeah, came to see if you found him yet." Wolf lit a cigar and puffed on it lightly. "Any luck?"

"Not a thing. Just cold trails and hints. Made a friend though, got my ship upgraded."

"Yea, I noticed, looks different! Always thought that cockpit layout and the gull wings was kinda stupid. Between the drag in the atmosphere and presenting one hell of a target on radar. Just never really said anything cause you were red hot pissed at everyone 'n everything."

"I really need to remember that people who are familiar with me can see past that damn filter…" She mutters with a sigh.

"Was gonna ask about that actually, but then again, some Cerinian thin' I guess. So, nothing of the pup eh? Damn shame. Was hopin' to take some good news back to Lylat. Lotta' folks rootin' for ya."

Krystal perked up and gazed at Wolf quietly. "Really?" Her voice filled with surprise.

"Yea, I'm one of them." He chuckled with another drag of his cigar, the acrid stench filling the space near them.

"Ain't no one worth dyin' over though, if you can't find him… you shoul-"

"Not happening," she said without missing a beat. "Fox is worth dying over. If I never find him, I can't go back… I don't even know what I would do without him, let alone the guilt." The vixens sigh that came forward was filled with dejection at the mere prospect.

Wolf studied the vixen closely with his one good eye, he could see she had the love bug bad. It was a hell of a path she was on, and a lonely one at that. No one could really understand what she was going through. Experienced in love though he was, this was something out of his depth. "Well shit… I just hope you don't do something stupid."

"Probably won't… by the way, how did you find Panther, and by extension me? This all seems like one hell of a coincidence."

Wolf gave a shrug. "Went with my gut. I may not have McCloud's fancy instincts, but we all get some feelings. Somethin' told me to board this here freighter, so I did it."

"Hah, you? A leap of faith?" She smirked.

"Ayup," Wolf said with a smirk. His eyes suddenly going past Krystal and a whistle. "Whoa, whoa… Krystal, Who's the lady?"

The vixen was perplexed as she turned to and her eyes came to rest upon her red panda friend. "Oh, her! That's my friend and co-pilot. She helps with weapons systems, also full of information."

As she turned back, the vixen had to stifle a laugh. She had seen Wolf on the hunt more than once, and he was at it again. Her arms were crossed and shook her head. "Wolf, I know that look, do you really thin-"

"Shh… let me appreciate it, hot damn, full-bodied and full of bounce. My kind of woman, you gonna introduce me?" Wolf said with a smirk.

"What? You planning to lay that space pirate charm on her? She's a priestess Wolf, not a spaceport floozy."

"Hehehe, she'll be somethin' else after I'm through with her." Krystal rolled her eyes mirthfully in response.

"You do realize I just kicked the shit out of Panther for the same behavior right?"

Yea, you did. But I have a bit more respect for women than he does. Seriously though, what's her name?"

"Go find out for yourself, I'm not playing matchmaker. Got my own hell to deal with."

"Neat." The lupine said, smoothing over the white stripe atop his head. "Well catch up later, I'm gonna go sniff around."

"You do that… I need a walk and some food after that shite show."

Krystal meandered down the calls of the cargo freighter, the name of which she didn't even care to get. Oversight on her part or not, she cared little for the vessel. It was just there to transport her. Her feet led her to the galley for some much-needed food and time to contemplate. It was here as she went through the buffet line a conversation that her ears picked up caught her attention, distracting her mind.

"So… we're going through Khanate Territory yeah?" Spoke one female voice.

"Yeah, we are, it's pretty dangerous, but as long as the captain isn't an idiot and offers up the tribute, we should get safe passage." Replied the other.

"Think we might get to see Revenant?" came the first voice, followed by the second one giggling like a schoolgirl. "I doubt it, but I wouldn't mind seeing him if half the stories are true."

The vixen blinked. Bryn had said that many viewed this Revenant character as a pirate or a savior. But these two women sounded like they were fawning over him.

"I mean, green eyes as powerful as the nebulae outside? Orange Fur the color of flame? Not to mention built like he could run a marathon and throw someone around like a sack of potatoes? Gets me all bothered thinking about it."

_There is absolutely no way they're talking about who I think they're talking about… Maybe I should pry._

With tray in paw, she approached the two women, a vixen much like herself sans the blue fur and aquamarine eyes who had white fur with strange almost ice blue eyes. Her friend was a dog that appeared to be of the Husky breed with the typical black and white fur pattern and both a green and blue. Krystal let down her illusion just for the two of them selectively. Both turned their eyes up upon sensing her approach.

"Whoa… a Cerinian." The vixen spoke quietly, almost reverently. "I never thought to see one in my life."

Krystal couldn't help but smile a bit at that reaction. "Yea… I'm still around, Don't know if there are others. Sorry to barge in but I wanted to talk to you two about this Revenant character. The pair of you seem to know a bit about him?"

The vulpine and dog looked at one another. "Not much more than the other person, just reports of what people have seen of him. Mostly rumors and conjecture, some folks say he's a murderer, others are saying he's a savior, that sort of deal."

_Just like Bryn said._

"I see, and these Khanate folks?"

"New to the region huh?" The husky said with a chuckle.

"Could say that yea."

"Well, I'm Clara, and the arctic vixen over here is Kendra."

Krystal nodded to both of them. "A pleasure, I go by Kursed."

Both females let their brows raised in curiosity. Then again, both knew that Bounty Hunters usually went by aliases and so did not think much of it.

"Well, have a seat, and we'll explain a few things."

For the next hour, Kendra and Clara went over the Khanate and the various factions in the region. The major players were The Vegaran Khanate which was a smattering of small raider clans that banded together and over time became a central power over a vast region of space. They controlled several hyperspace lanes which were pivotal to multiple other factions in the area. The Vegarans were a warrior culture led by one sole individual who held the mightiest fleet. The Great Khan, through him or her, society flowed and developed within their territory. The people within that space were secretive, only engaging outsiders for trade or tribute when individuals would cross into their domain.

"I don't understand, what about jump drives?"

The two females chuckled. "Jump Drives are very rare, and only the largest ships use them. Cargo Convoy's like this don't get outfitted with them, so we have to use hyperspace lanes. Which is why the tributary system is there for the Khanates, the captain, or whoever is in charge of the convoy pays for safe passage. With the payment locked in, we get left alone. There's only ever been a few instances of a convoy being assaulted, and they were generally justified reasons barring one or two extreme circumstances."

Krystal nodded as the vixen spoke, she had noticed that Clara was giving her the bedroom eyes for some time and had slipped closer towards her spot. The husky clearly thought she was subtle. Krystal sighed internally and decided to let the canine down easy. "Clara, I don't swing that way, sorry to burst your bubble." She felt the girls hopes suddenly dashed at a chance to sleep with a one hundred percent Cerinian.

The dog went wide-eyed and pouted. "Bet you would if you gave me a chance." She huffed.

Kendra smirked at her friend. "See, I told you. Not all vixens are sluts ya thirsty twit!"

"No, just you!" Clara shot back as the two friends burst into laughter.

"What about these other Factions?"

Kendra blinked "Ah! Right! Yes, well you have the Kruzha Empire. Really is in the name, they're fervent imperialists, rule with an iron fist. Which is where we're bound for after we stop at Svestruga. The Imperials are so far up on their own nuts it's not even funny, superiority complex for days."

"I see. What's Svestruga like?"

"Shit hole… well, no, not a shit hole. It's a crime-laden colony world on the fringes of Khanate space, the Khan doesn't mess with them, nor do the crime families, in turn, jerk them around. They merely call themselves The Syndicate, imaginative, right?"

"Not terribly, but then neither is Kursed."

Both females who sat across from her chuckled. "Speakin' of. What's your real name, we promise not to tell."

Krystal shook her head. "Sorry, that identity is behind me until I complete my mission out here. The man you were describing sounds almost like the one I'm looking for to a T." She finished.

Both husky and vixen turned to look at each other and then back at Kursed. "Gotta be some story there girl, well, you might be able to talk with them when we stop to pay tribute. It takes a few hours, and usually they come aboard our ship to collect, they won't let us board."

"Smart, get to see what your enemy is packing while limiting your exposure."

Clara nodded. "Very much so."

"And because they control the hyperspace lanes…"

"They get away with quite a bit, and no one will say anything."

"I see… and this Revenant?"

"As far as anyone knows, he's high up in the Khanate Command structure, though he appears outside very frequently, so there is a chance he's a free agent of some nature."

"Huh, some people say he's a pirate."

Clara shook her head. "From what has been seen of him, he works closely with the Khanate, whether he's apart of them is another matter."

Kendra chimed in as her tail swayed side to side while leaning on her elbow. "There is also a chance he's one of those rare individuals who can come and go as he pleases out of their territory… I forget what they're called, but there's a specific term for them."

Clara finally asked the question that was burning on the huskie's mind. "So, the description sounds like your man?"

Krystal blinked. "What makes you think he's my man?"

"The way you looked hopeful when you asked. He really all that?"

Krystal fidgeted at being put on the spot, finally taking a bite of her long forgotten food to delay the answer. The way both women were looking at her though, they would not relent till she spoke. "And so much more."

"Yea? Go on."

Krystal shook her head. "It's a personal story, one I'd like to not share with people I barely know."

The two women chuckled. It was understandable, Mercenaries and bounty hunters were rarely a personable lot. "Well, if you came all this way, he must be something else."

"Yea… anyways, thank you for the.."

Klaxons began to suddenly blare as the ship intercom came to life.

"Alert! General Quarters, repeat, all hands General Quarters, hostiles inbound. All strike craft scramble."

Krystal was out of her chair before the alert finished and sprinting down the hall. The Hangar Bay was a flurry of activity as numerous pilots both military and mercenary were getting their ships spooled up. Mia to her credit had kept the ship on standby in case things went wrong, she wanted to be sure they would be one of the first out the doors.

"Mia!"

"We're ready!"

Krystal gave the red panda a nod as she sprinted up into the Cloudrunner and into her seat. Mia settling in behind her. "This is Kursed with the Cloudrunner, open the doors. We're ready to go." She chimed into the ship's comms.

"Affirmative Cloudrunner, you are clear."

The ship lifted off its skids and used the maneuvering thrusters to gingerly turn towards the bay exit while the doors slid open in the abyss of night. The verdant nebula was easily seen off to the side as lasers and missiles streaked across the doorway.

"Care for some backup "Kursed"?"

That was Wolf's voice, and it made her smile slightly. "Yea, having folks at my back I'm familiar with would be welcome." She was glad he was playing along with the persona. More than likely Mia had talked to them about it.

"Right then, let's do it."

Three ships sped out of the cargo's hangar bay and lept into the fight. Fighters of unknown make and type they had not seen before were tearing into the escort fighters as though they were nothing.

The destroyers and battlecruisers were engaged with opposing ships, beige in color and thick elongated hulls bristling with guns. The largest vessel that stood out, however, and easily identified as dreadnought class. A depiction of a large bird of prey swooping down from the skies was it's heraldry as beams erupted from the barrels of those large guns, impacting the shields of a nearby destroyer that sent it spiraling. To Krystal's surprise, the ship did not explode; instead, it seemed to be disabled and locked down.

"Gods above, we're outgunned here! Did you see that?"

"Yea, I saw it, Krystal, that's one big ass ship. But we've fought just as big before!"

_Then why do I have this huge sense of unease from that vessel?_

"Let's Focus on the fighters and give our guys some breathing room, then we can worry about the big boys."

"When did you take command?" Wolf chuckled on the other end as he shot down a Khanate fighter that burst into a brilliant ball of flame.

"When you asked to follow me." She shot back with mirth in her voice.

"My mistake then."

Despite his jovial attitude, Wolf was nervous. These Khanate fighter pilots were good, damn good. Far better than the typical Lylatian pukes, Cornerian or Venomian. These guys had elite training, and he was struggling to keep up with their fighters. Only his experience and guile kept him ahead of the game. Already he had a couple of close calls with a pair of fighters, but he had told no one. Wolf found a small bout of shame growing in his mind, the thought of running into the pilot who had trained their opponents terrified him. It was the law of things though, there was always a bigger fish.

The three of them while not turning the tide of battle outright, were giving other pilots and the larger combat vessels room. Leon and Wolf were behind her at her seven and four o'clock respectively, only breaking the triangle formation when things got hairy.

The attack seemed to let up momentarily, and indeed, fighters seemed now to be actively avoiding them which sent red flags up in her mind.

"Wolf… Leon, Careful, I think something's up."

"You noticed it too? They're avoiding us. Their movements are deliberate."

"And it's not out of fear." From what she could feel of the pilots, something was coming, and it amused their opponents greatly.

Something was wrong. As if to confirm her suspicions her mind pinged and her head whipped up all but too late. Her eyes went wide as above a ghost white ship descended upon them flanked on either side by two other fighters of a different make. It was the central ship that caught her attention though. It was distinct but looked to be a heavily modified Third Generation Arwing. She couldn't tell though with how fast it was moving.

Before she could warn Wolf and Leon the two flanking fighters opened up and blasted both Wulfen to the point of being crippled, their engines sputtered and died with their comms being cut.

_Ion cannons?!_

**[A/N: Music Recommendation Zero - Elysium]**

The lead fighter did not fire but chose to activate its boost and began diving on her. Krystal hit her own thrust to max that sent the Cloudrunner speeding away with the wraithlike arwing hot on her six.

"Mia! Missiles!"

"On it boss!"

Mia's hud lit up as the missile racks opened and began to lock on the fighter behind them. The tone going loud in her ears as she smashed the button to fire. What happened next terrified and both awed the red panda.

The ghostly craft rolled, dodged and performed acrobatics that no ordinary man should be capable of. Blasts of blue energy tore whatever missile got in front of its guns to shreds.

"By the divines! He's still coming!"

That was decidedly not good. Whoever was in that ship was apparently a very skilled pilot, some might even say otherworldly.

"Mia! Who is that?!"

"It's… I think it's him. Revenant, I've heard stories, but I thought they were just that! Stories! I've never seen someone fly like that before!"

The vixen cursed herself… that means she could be potentially fighting her lost lover. She had no definitive proof, but if she was… then what? Does she try to kill him? Disable him? There were no ion cannons on board or any other non-lethal weapons for that matter.

"I think this disguise may have suddenly had unforeseen consequences." She muttered to herself, several blasts of blue energy streaked past the cockpit. The vixen couldn't run in a straight line forever, that ship would catch her as it was keeping pace and the distance counter was closing. "Mia, buckle in, things are about to get a bit wild."

With a pull on the controls, her ship banked to the right in a breakneck turn. She made use of her thrusters on the sides of her hull to give her more turning ability, but to her dismay Revenant stayed with her the whole way. The hostile pilot's guns slowly being trained on her ship. Krystal's teeth grind together with fangs bared in anger before attempting a hammerhead maneuver. The Cloudrunner went into a steep vertical climb, and while unable to stall her craft outside of the atmosphere, she still had a few tricks. She activated the ships emergency thrusters to blast her ship sharply to the side and backward. The G-forces enacted on her even with the G-diffusion technology was immense, Mia herself almost blacked out from the sheer force behind it. Even in space, there were still gravitonic forces at work that could become extreme in certain circumstances. However, her maneuver was successful and did what she needed to do. The hostile ship rushed by as time seemed to slow to a crawl and the vixens head turned to examine the craft in a split second. Her heart leaped into her throat at what greeted her eyes.

The canopy itself had some sort of dampening at work. The tinted glass easily blocked light from passing through while protecting the pilot. However, that wasn't that what caught her eye. What did laid just beneath the canopy where usually a callsign or insignia would be placed. The image seemed to be a winged red fox … but horribly tortured. She swore up and down it looked to be a horrific caricature of the old Star Fox logo. The head was naught, but a skull and the entire body burned while it twisted to grip a blade between its teeth as it pierced the creature's body where the heart ought to be. Once resplendent wings were shattered and broken, limp at its side with feathers scattered about. It was as though the creature were returning to a horrific state of unlife after being broken and horrifically mutilated.

Before the enemy pilot could react, Krystal regained her senses, the vixen kicked the throttle into full gear as she fell in behind the specter of a craft that seemed to create stories and instill dread in its opponents. Not for her though. She had no idea who was in the pilot's seat; if the rumors were true, she very well could be attacking Fox. She had no way of knowing. The barrels of her hyper blasters lined up while opponent began to speed their own craft up. The engine emitting brilliant blue plasma from its aft.

Her eyes had not deceived her in the opening attack, even from behind it looked like an Arwing from the Aparoid War. The engine layout was the then standard quad plasma thrusters with the primary engine dead center. Krystal watched as the pilot before her did something she had not once witnessed. The ghostly arwing began to corkscrew as he made use of his thrusters to propel him in unpredictable directions with such speed that it was almost dizzying. Krystal was unable to keep her guns on target as she was devoting most of her focus on not letting the enemy get behind once more. The two ships began to dance through the stars, twirling and spinning about each other as if in some kind of strange romantic dance with each pilot anticipating the other near flawlessly. Neither one was able to get that edge that would propel them to victory.

Unbeknownst to the pair of pilots, others had taken note of the climactic battle. Both sides had watchers on as combat waged around them. Never had so many eyes witnessed such a titanic struggle. The pair clashed against one another with such finesse and skill. It was clear by each move they made that they were intensely exceptional pilots. Like a game of chess with blasters and bombs at thousands of meters per second. The two shifted positions numerous times from one being the aggressor to the defender with no clear victor in sight. No one dared intervene for fear of becoming a target for their allies opponent. This was their dual, no one else's. Some mercs had gotten the idea to try, only for the Khanate fighters to swiftly cut them off and disable them with Ion Cannons. They made it clear that Revenant and the Mercenary "Kursed" would not be disturbed.

Back inside Krystal's ship, she could not believe what she saw, how good the pilot was. The growing pile of evidence before her giving credence to the theory that she was indeed fighting Fox McCloud. His style, the agility, and power of how he made use of his modified arwing were all there. She wanted to open a channel to talk to him. But her hesitation to do so combined with the inability to gain the advantage was making it difficult to justify what could be done next Moreover, there was one sensation that she was experiencing which bore into her very soul. One that struck true and screamed at her that she was indeed putting her skills to the test against Fox. Or, at least to her, it felt that way.

Nostalgia. A sudden abrupt flow of memories hit her hard. Memories of flying side by side with Fox, fighting together, not as mere wingmates. But as a pair, they were two parts of a whole, and it had always felt amazing when they were together. The fond memories she had made during that time in the air or in space was as it should be. It was a shame that it never culminated in them becoming something more. Even with how close they were, still, the emotions played with her, and as she brought herself under control, she noticed that the hallmark of doom had gone suddenly still, as though the pilot were hesitating or something had him in its sway. And yet, as her guns lined up to deliver the fatal blow something whispered to her. A gentle voice imploring her not to pull the trigger. More than one merc screamed at her to kill him, to take the pilot out while she had the chance. Her pride and rage wanted her to, to bag the enemy and become one of the most deadly pilots to reap fame and glory for downing this apparition of fear and death.

_How many times did I listen to those voices only for everything to blow up horribly in my face?_

_But what if it's not him?_

_What if I'm mistaken?_

So many questions and so few answers. In a flash, the voices of the Krazoa filled her mind. That very day she proclaimed her promise to the galaxy.

" _Only your faith can deliver you now."_ Though it went against everything she had learned as a member of Star Wolf and every rule of flying that had been ingrained with Star Fox. Krystal listened, and in the act of that very faith, Krystal held her fire.

Revenant did not move, not for a full minute before his ship dipped and pulled alongside hers, the dampening was still in place so she could not see the pilot. She was however sure he could see her. He dipped his wing in respect before veering off.

"Krystal?" Came Mia's confused voice.

The answer came as on both their communications lit up on the dashboard in a text message.

"You have clearance to land upon the Sword of Menshar. It was a pleasure dueling with you whoever you are. I would see you as an honored guest and meet face to face."

Krystal blinked. No way was Fox, he didn't talk like that. This was an individual who sounded more Cerinian or clan-like than him. A forlorn frown crossed her lips as she sighed. Her hopes dashed. Krystal's head turned as the last of the warships that escorted the convoy were disabled or outright destroyed.

K: "What choice do I have?"

R: "We all have choices in life. What we do with them is what matters."

That made her blink as her world did a one-eighty. **That** sounded like Fox; while he was no wise man by any standards, the ordinarily unremarkable exterior gave way to a man who saw and thought more profoundly than most would give him credit for. She had no idea who she was talking to, but it would seem destiny was calling.

K: "Very well. I guess I will see you there."

The vixen turned towards the massive dreadnought indicated on her navcom. Apprehension was thick within the cockpit. Not a word spoken as the ship began docking procedures.

**X-X-X-X**

Within the hull of the cargo ship Verxtes, a squad consisting of seven individuals made their way down the hall. Bodies lay strewn about from the boarding action that had taken place. Imperial, Khanates and civilian personnel altogether. Through his tinted visor, the lead individual frowned as he got his fill of the sight before him.

_Death unites us all._

The others behind him remained silent and respectful, watching their leader in quiet fascination as their commander leaned down and sifted through the pockets of one of the fallen. Within he found a wallet and opened it to pick up the id badge. The dead husky females chromatic eyes stared up at the ceiling, cold and devoid of life but holding a rifle in her now limp arms while her other was clinging desperately to a vixen as if trying to shield her. The problem was, these were not civilians or Mercs. The penetrations through the clothing indicated projectile weapons which meant one thing… A Khanate was killing civilians, imperials used energy weapons. With a frown the warrior grit his teeth. He would have no more of this.

"Clara Se'Mone."

"Kendra Marxetes."

Each armored soldier listened carefully as their leader turned to them. The warrior garbed in a full suit of combat armor which was a grungy faded grey from so much use and exposure. It was fitted perfectly to him; tail and all. A blaster lay on his hip and an alien war sword strapped in a loop off his left. He never did speak of where he found it. But it was beautifully made, handcrafted. Swirling strange runes none of them had ever seen before all along the curve of the vicious head. They had all seen him use it. It could cut into metallic armor as though it were nothing, those that got close in combat rarely survived.

"One of the Khanate has violated standing order number five: No civilian lives will be taken if it can be prevented. He will be brought to justice, and I will be his judicator."

Each warrior nodded in response. To argue with law and standing orders was suicide unless there was a precedence. Of which the second in the squad spoke up. "Sir, that woman is armed."

Their leader nodded. "That she is, but look at her expression, the way she is splayed out. She was defending her friend and looks panicked. Does that strike you as a trained and disciplined soldier?" There was a full pause before the soldier who asked looked down at the woman and then back up at his leader.

"No? It doesn't for me either. It stinks of panic and desperation, picking up a weapon as only a last resort."

They could not argue with his logic as the evidence was laid bare before them. On top of that, Revenant had an almost supernatural gift that bordered on clairvoyance. Coupled with his impeccable honor, none would question him. The squad sallied forth until they came to a cargo hold where Imperials and Khanate warriors were exchanging fire. The warrior in the faded grey armor frowned as his fellows fell in around and acted as a shield; only for him to break ranks and stride forward calmly.

Almost immediately the fire from the Imperials ceased which confused the attackers as they paused to turn around and found the answer to their burgeoning question. There standing before them was the Ghost of The Abyss, The Vengeful Sword of Marchstoff. Revenant. The warrior strode forward past the attackers and opened his channel to the Imperial officer, denoting his rank of lieutenant from the bars pinned to his collar. The officers last name printed upon the left breast. The optics within his helmet made it easy to spot such details.

"Lieutenant Hanche, the battle is lost, there is no need for anyone else to die today. Lay down your weapons and come peacefully. You have my word that you will be treated with decency and respect."

The Lieutenant was of some domestic dog breed, perhaps a mixture. A curled tail not unlike that of a husky or malamute, black of fur and shorter by a foot and packed with quite a bit of fluff which spoke of a more wintery evolution in his genetics.

Instead of opting to use the all channel he barked out for all to hear. "Liar! Those soldiers there have been butchering helpless civilians! I've seen it with my own eyes!"

A Khanate warrior to Revenants left lept up "Deceiver! None would dare violate SO Five!"

His tail lashed within the armored carapace in agitation before turning back to the Imperial defenders. Revenant had seen the evidence for himself, the Khanate warriors were already damned. "I believe you Lieutenant, of whom lead this massacre?"

Everyone went dead quiet, even the defenders were awestruck. A mish-mash of canines, felines and the odd lizard stood out. For a few scant seconds, peace reigned before Hanche took a deep breath.

"There, the warrior to your left and his thugs, the one who calls me a deceiver. I watched him approach a group of people who were making for the escape pods and began to open fire with his fellows. I swear this to you upon my honor of the house Hanche. I offer no lies but speak only truth, of this I can assure you. If your honor is as strong as some of the stories say, Revenant, then you would do the fallen justice. Such was the desperation I saw a female husky try to pick up a rifle in defense of herself and her friend only to be cut down with brutality."

Revenant turned to the soldier on his left. Indeed he scanned the faces of every single soldier present, several felines, two canines and strangely one simian.

"What have you to say in your defense?"

It was unnerving for each of the accused, they knew he looked on them with scorn and intense disappointment. They had been caught, and they knew it. Revenant had a penchant for sniffing things out, and he was rarely if ever wrong in these situations. Each warrior hung their head low in shame at the dishonor they had caused. Without a word, Revenant nodded to his cohorts, and each of them drew their weapons, not one hesitated as they swiftly brought the lives of those who gave trespass against the innocent to an end in a cacophony of gunfire and bladed weapons.

He watched the work unfold before his eyes came to meet Hanche. "There, it is done. Now, will you surrender or do we need to take you down?"

Hanche blinked in awe, he had heard stories of how ruthless the Khanate forces could be. But witnessing it first hand was something else.

"I… I have your word my men will be spared and treated fairly?"

It was not as uncommon to see an officer from the Empire care for his men. Hardly as rare as Khanate propaganda would have folks believe. They surely had their issues, such as being slavers and the Emperor a ruling despot. However, their soldiers and officer corps were generally honorable sorts mixed in with the occasional bloodthirsty mongrel.

"You do. I won't judge you for hauling slaves, you have your orders, and I have my tasks."

Hanche paled, unsure of how the man across from him knew their cargo, but regardless, the dog instructed his men to surrender their weapons, and each trooper was patted down to make sure they did not conceal anything. After the inspection was completed, he turned to the boarding party. "Return to the Menshar and Lady Marchstoff, inform her that the ship is ours and we are securing the slaves within. Sylv, you're with me." An armored trooper strode forward, her colors a strange ethereal blue and purple, the boots and gloves were a gentle azure while the purple was almost easily mistaken for black with how dark it was. Her helmet bobbed in affirmation of the order and held in her arms a medium sized sub-machine gun.

As the newly acquired prisoners and rest of the squad departed. Revenant let his shoulders slump as he gazed down the hall towards cargo and cell access.

Sylv approached quietly as they watched on with curiosity. Neither could see the others face, Revenant and Sylv had been through much together, it was enough to see the body language and understand what was going through her superior and friends mind.

"Alright. Let's get this done then." The male muttered apprehensively.

The pair crept down the hall, naught but their boots clanging off metal as they entered the cell block and cargo hold. Wall to wall cells of slaves and prisoners from all walks of life. Both warriors flinched, able to key in on the genuine manifestation of suffering.

_It unnerves me every time I see one of these ships, such hopelessness, and suffering. To think I was once without hope but lacking the cage._

It was easy enough to find the release, and the doors soon opened. Slowly, dozens of incarcerated individuals began to emerge, staring around as the lights came on, some having to shield their eyes from the bright beams of light. That was until they gazed towards the exit and saw him. The Great Liberator, savior of Onaor IV.

Revenant flinched in anticipation. For him? This was the worst part, the hero worship, the praise that he did not deserve.

A little tingle in his mind whispered to him. _Soothe yourself, warrior, you are their hero whether you like it or not._

A grimace beneath the helmet as he replied. _I know, but I still hate it. Though their smiling faces does do me some good, even if every soul we rescue is but a drop in the ocean._

Sylv nodded to him and patted him as the prisoners approached.

"By the gods…" An elderly man began. "It is you! I thought they were just stories that so many people told to keep up hope. But you do exist." The man almost began to blubber and fell to his knees, the elderly feline, a calico from the fur coloration; likely would not have survived much longer in captivity. But before he could grovel Revenant reached down and lifted him back up to his feet.

"Don't grovel to me, I am no god or King. I am but a man just like you. Stand on your own feet and revel in your freedom. The Khanate will take all aboard this ship in and then you are free to go where you please unless you choose to stay with them." He announced loudly as others had been almost ready to fall to their knees in supplication to their savior.

"I have but one question that is important. Are there any vulpines of strange coloration among your number? I and my second here are looking for them specifically."

Each prisoner looked at each other and then shook their heads. "I am sorry Revenant, but we saw no such individuals in any of the cell blocks or cargo holds. Perhaps on the other ships?"

_Damn… was too much to hope for._

At first the now former slaves were worried they had angered him when his shoulders slumped, and tail went limp. A silent moment passed before he gazed back up at the elder. "Thank you anyways. Now, head for the landing bay, take a left out the door and then take corridor 23A all the way to the end. There will be a ship waiting for you."

With gracious thanks and offers of blessings upon him each liberated soul passed him until the bay was empty save for the two armored soldiers.

Sylv looked to her leader and friend. "That pilot has been on your mind since the end of your fight, what has you dwelling on them so?"

"You know very well why." He muttered. "You can sense it can't you?" It was a rhetorical question of course.

"I can, but I've not seen your mind light up this much since we first met back on Svestruga." Came the synthesized reply.

"Yes, when flying against that pilot I heard the name the mercs called her, Kursed. How she could match me and anticipate me. Only one other person was ever able to compete with me in such a way… Is it possible? But the fact the two other bastards were with her; and where was the fourth one? They never flew without an entire squadron. So many questions."

"And the answers lay upon the Sword of Menshar. It seems your ghosts have come home… Revenant, are you ready to face them?"

A sarcastic grin was the reply even though Sylv could not see it. "Only one way to find out I suppose."

"Indeed. Let's go, the pain of this place weighs heavily upon my mind. And you should stop talking like one of the Khanates, it's weird."

"Yeah… it is, but gotta keep appearances up, all part of the show."

**X-X-X-X**

**Sword of Menshar** **16:24 PM VA time**

**Revenants Personal Quarters**

The sharp sound of metal grinding on stone filled the medium sized room. The todd was sharpening his sword. His helmet lay at rest on the table, and his armor was placed upon a rack not far off to the side. The vulpine was hunched over with the window to the open stars before him. His tail lashed in apprehension, fear gripped had a death grip upon his heart. A thousand times he had played over the most important conversation in his head, a thousand times he had been rejected, shot down and left behind.

If the person who he fought against was the very one he thought it was. His life was about to become very tumultuous. Anxiety reared its head, the simple fact of the matter was. He was not ready to face his ghosts… let alone, _her_. He set the stone down and gazed out into the stars plead silently that it was not who he suspected. That Wolf and his goons had picked up someone else, and the vixen he desperately wanted to see and yet simultaneously never desired to ever interact with again was far from wherever he was.

Sylv had been right though, he needed to face his ghosts had gone to fetch the vixen who was staying in the guest quarters. Revenant waited until the tips of his ears pricked up at the sound of boots approaching and came to a stop just before his door. With a hiss, the hydraulics opened, and he heard two sets of boots enter. His heart thundered, and mind reeled out of control before he took a deep breath and stood up on his two feet and turned. Only to be greeted not by the vixen he expected, but someone who was far different. Scarred, battle-hardened and looked as though she had been through utter hell. A black flight suit clung neatly to her body.

Disappointment and relief filled into his features. He had hoped, prayed even that it was her and simultaneously that it was not. A sad smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"So, you're the one I fought out there?"

Dead silence reigned. He looked at the azure vixen, long purple hair flowing down to the small of Kursed's back. Her face was contorted in a look of sheer shock, surprise, and awe.

Revenant tilted his head. "Is something the matter Kursed?"

One word in a voice he could never misplace in a million years left her lips. That one syllable shook him to his very core.

"Fox."

He froze instantly. That voice dripped with sorrowful joy, exhaustive glee. It was as though the vixen didn't know if she should break down and cry in pain or scream in happiness. There was something wrong, he felt it in his mind as it throbbed in sudden agony. A thousand different emotions ran rampant within all at once as unbidden memories flooded in. Sensations long since departed crashed into his mind like a battering ram. His pulse quickened as white began to fill his vision and the todd gripped the sides of his head in roaring torment.

"C-can't… think… my head!" He gasped as though a migraine a thousand times stronger than anything he felt assailed him. Fox's vision blurred before tripping over a nearby table as the pain became so much he faded into unconsciousness. His mind barely registering words that sounded so far away and faint.

"Oh, gods! Fox! Hold on! I've-" The words faded into nothing, all that greeted him was the sudden vision of his Arwings cockpit amidst the Anglar war. Flames licked at the glass with the threat of consuming his craft. The shrill alarm of impending impact screeching in his ear while his heart thundering within his chest as the end approached. His paws were white knuckling the control stick and trying in all desperation to pull the nose of the craft up.

**Warning! Impact Imminent! Pull Up! Warning!**

Try as he might, the controls would not respond. The vision came as quick as it appeared as the horrific sound of metal grinding and glass shattering with the earth being dug at terminal velocity. The sound drifted off and was soon replaced with one of the most haunting sounds that to this very day filled his dreams.

The sound that haunted him so was that of the rhythmic synthesized noise of an EKG Machine. It was coupled with the scent of disinfectants, the stale smell of a clean room while people rooted around inside his body trying to save his pitiful excuse of a life. All of it meshed together into one of his greatest fears and nightmares.

**Beep. Beep. Beep.**

_This…. This is where it all ended… and began…_


	6. Recall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey! Here's an update! Just so folks don't get confused, I've structured the story where the two timelines are running congruently. Granted We're going back farther for Fox at least to the start of it all so we get an idea of where he was a year and some change ago before the events of Krystal's arc where she finds the goodest of boys. So each chapter will be a jump in time up until the two timelines run together at chapter 5's endpoint. We're going to see Fox at his lowest and then rebuild himself from the ground up just as Krystal did but in a different manner. Apologies if this seems edgy, BUT; I tend to use quite a bit of symbolism and more spiritual shenanigans in my stories if folks haven't noticed by now! Anyways, onto the story, Enjoy!

**19 Months Before the events of The Verdant Abyss**

**Corneria Military Hospital 0650 CST**

The doors to the OR burst open and the sound of wheels crossing the floor as several members of the hospital staff surrounded the gurney. On it lay a battered, broken Fox McCloud, bleeding, burnt and very much in distress. However, not a peep was made by the wounded todd; instead, the noise came from the slab he lay upon with the sound of the doctor and various nurses keeping a check on his vitals and status.

"Blood pressure dropping!"

"Medical scans show one perforated lung, lacerated sternum, numerous broken bones. Epidermis has second and third-degree burns!"

"Patient is going to bleed out at this rate!"

The gurney came to a halt as the entire medical team was now centered in the main operating room with an observation lounge overlooking. Fox's family watched from on high as the doctors set to work. Peppy, Falco, Miyu, Fay, Katt, Slippy and Bill Grey. Each one of them hoping for the best and suddenly finding themselves wishing there was a kind and just god that would intervene in Fox's darkest hour.

Doctor Phillis Menderly had sterilized his hands and went about getting the proper tools. The old war dog of the Doberman breed wrung his paws out and donned his surgical gloves with the signature elastic snap.

"Alright, here's how this is happening. Nurses, keep your eyes on that machine, I want IV's lined up for the next few days with a morphine drip mixed in. I can't even imagine the pain he's experiencing right now." What unnerved the doctor most about the situation, was that everything indicated Fox McCloud was conscious. Yet the fox made not a sound. Either his threshold for pain was immense, or was in a state of shock. The latter was impossible as he would have long since been dead.

_McCloud must have the will of a god in his heart to keep all that anguish under control. Not a sound since he arrived and we pulled him out of stasis._

It was then he sniffed the air and looked up at the gathered Nurses, each one of them held apprehensive eyes. Fear radiated off them in potent waves, every single nurse had the same thoughts on their minds.

_They think me mad that I am going to try and save his life. They might be right, were this any other patient, I would deem them a lost cause. But I will be damned before I let the man who saved us all slip away quietly on a painkiller drip._

With a vigor that never truly died; Doctor Phillis bellowed forth with a voice that hailed from his days serving aboard warships. The Doberman barked orders loudly at each Nurse. "Did I stutter ladies?! Move! Move! Move!" Each nursed jumped as they woke from their hesitation. Each one scurried about in their pink and blue scrubs acquiring the necessary tools. His assistant the head nurse, a wisened black and white house cat entering her winter years gazed at the Doberman.

"Doctor… Phillis, do you really think you can save him?" Menderly frowned quietly at the use of his first name. Miranda only ever used it when she was concerned.

"I don't know Mir… but I have to try. He deserves that much."

The green-eyed feline eyed her longtime friend and confidant before giving a brief affirming nod. She would support his decision. Miranda knew that look of determination. His intense desire to see something through. "Alright. I'm with you every step of the way. Let's give it our all."

The Doberman smiled in gratitude to his lifelong friend, and with a nod; began his work. "Nurse, Knife."

**X-X-X-X**

**Beep… Beep… Beep…**

Fox remembered that day clearly, nineteen months past. The whole event was happening before his eyes again. The intense sensation of the deep burns beneath his skin, the fractured bones and a punctured lung. His throat and mouth becoming filled with the flavor of thick liquid rich in the taste of iron. Fox knew it well; that of his lifeblood trying to choke him to death as his airways filled with it. The sensation caused his body to heave and wretch as it desperately tried to clear the path. Every move sent fresh waves of anguish coursing through him. The worst of it though was not physical. It was emotional; buried deep within his psyche and a very real ache that throbbed within his weakly beating heart. The only thing Fox could equate it to, it was like broken glass. Shattered, falling out of its frame piece by piece as spider webs arched throughout his being.

The source of the inner turmoil was Krystal's presence just before impact. Not the compassionate and tender Krystal he loved with all his heart. No, he felt vile disgust, an enmity that raged greater than Lyla ever could. It was malice he only knew once in his life; one that belonged to a person who wanted nothing more than to see his family wiped out; and to rule Lylat with an iron fist. It broke his heart to know who that hatred had belonged to. The knowledge that he was so reviled by the vixen he cared for most. The love he felt for her was the one thing that he held onto with all his might, and now it was ash in the wind.

Fox gave in. The body could only take so much and coupled with the will in his mind being shattered and broken. Fox offered little in the way of resistance to stay alive. What was the point? His family had betrayed him twice, the love of his life was an enemy, and now Star Wolf was on the way to put an end to the Anglar threat while he lay dying in a hospital bed. With all these factors and thoughts churning in his mind; he surrendered to his fate. The todd could remember the voices as his vision began to slowly cloud over with encroaching darkness. The panicked cries that filled his ears as he faded away.

"Doctor! We're losing him! Blood pressure is plummeting! BPM is nonexistent! The patient is going into cardiac arrest!"

"Code blue! Get the crash cart in here now! Keep his airway clear!"

Bit by bit Fox's eyes closed until he could hear the tell-tale sign of a flatline in his ear that pierced the miasma of his mind like a gunshot.

_Death._

He had died that day. Fox McCloud at 0659 hours was clinically dead. Yet doctor Phillis Menderly refused to give up. For well over a half hour the old Doberman refused to let him go. The hospital would label the doctor and nurses a hero at a later date, but Fox knew the truth of how he came back. How he returned to the hell that he called life.

Darkness filled his eyes, and for a time it was comfortable, welcoming even. But that dark gave way to a blinding light, one that illuminated everything around him. Fox found himself able to stand, not an ounce of discomfort on his body. Speaking of, his eyes trailed down to gaze upon his own body that was bereft of any wound. He was in perfect condition, not a strand of fur out of place. He even appeared to be a few years younger? Fox took in his surroundings and found the vicinity to be naught but empty space.

He did not panic, not at first, but in his new and strange surroundings, Fox uttered a meek "Hello?" To his surprise, no sound greeted him, not even an echo. As the words passed his lips the tone dropped flat and dead. For several long minutes the vast emptiness around him remained static. Not a thing changed, no angels, demons, not a sign of any god. There was nothing but a great vacuum that stretched on for an eternity. Fox felt his fear rise, a panic began to set in and he started running in whatever direction he chose. He felt alone, isolated; separated from the world. He was dead and he knew it. This wasn't what he had hoped for, not what he felt was owed after all the sacrifice. Every step Fox took was heavier than the last as he sprinted for what felt like hours. The orange todd would suddenly change direction but it would end in the same result, eventually feeling like he was running in place and not gaining any ground. He wanted to scream and yell. The todd felt a burning desire to have someone in front of him so he could throttle and choke them. The rage within his soul building to greater heights than he ever felt before in his life.

_This is how I am repaid?! With nothing?! I don't even get to see my family again?!_

The words echoed in his mind like a broken record all coming back to one word. **Nothing**. No welcome to a well-earned rest, no smiling faces his of his loved ones from the past. Not even a pat on the back. After everything that had been taken and all that he had given freely in the name of justice and protection of the innocent. His reward? Was nothing.

_What was the point of it all…_

That single phrase ushered a wellspring of emotions through him. Fox felt his heart wrench in a way he had never handled but once in his life. That day had been nine years ago during the Lylat Wars. Vividly he remembered the blood boiling in his veins, the raw bile-spewing hatred he felt in the depths of his soul. The anger was a tranquil one however; no screaming or shouting. Instead, he broke down, his eyes welled with tears as his palms hit the ground when he fell to his knees. The emptiness of the void was his reward for the sacrifices. The countless times he laid his life down on the line for his people and friends. The blaster burns and various wounds he had taken over the years, the loss of friends and family along the way. In his heart Fox knew he would gladly do it all again even if it was the same result as now. But the heartbreak is what did him in, the chasm within his chest grew wider with each passing second. The inferno in his chest paired with the slap to the face he bore witness to. It was too much for the man to handle; the final straw that broke Fox's back. Somewhere in Fox's soul, he felt it. Like a thin piece of fabric slowly twisting until it snapped. The world around him began to buckle and churn as a dull rumble filled the air as though a distant storm were rushing towards him. With each second that passed while Fox's emotions ran rampant; that dull noise turned into a roaring maelstrom. The pale void took on a darker tone as the "skies" shifted to a crimson hue, the ground turned to burning pitch. The land heaved up around him as gigantic crags formed and burning lava flows ran free. Bolts of lightning arced across the blood red skies as Fox unleashed all that he was in that moment.

Amidst all the carnage Fox bolted upright with his head thrown back and let loose a roar of distress and hatred that some said could be heard simultaneously in the deepest reaches of the underworld and the land of the living. That agonized cry dragged on for an what felt like an aeon before he felt a sudden tug, a sharp pull as reality bent and warped around him. It felt as though his entire body were being sucked out an airlock, his insides becoming his outsides and vice versa. It was a hellacious torment as he experienced being ripped apart and remade several times over until his eyes shot wide in the waking world. Fresh rage still upon his lips. A very troubled and distraught Doberman was looking down at him before orders were barked forth from his lips.

"Nurses! Get back in here now!"

Fox groaned as the weight of his torment came crashing down on him like the Blue Marine at terminal velocity. The myriad of wounds overloaded his nervous system, the darkness at the corners of his vision rushing forth once more to fill his vision.

**X-X-X-X**

A week had passed since that day, and Fox was sitting upright in his hospital bed wrapped in bandages. His once passionate, warm gaze now hollow and empty. Those hues had been replaced by something far more vicious as they trailed out over the street below. Fox watched on as couples and families lived their happy, busy lives. Never once having to fear or stand in the line of fire. Star Fox always saved them. All the while the Cornerian army cowered in orbit and dugouts while Fox and his team did all the heavy lifting.

How he reviled them.

Fox despised them for their happiness, loathed them for their love-filled lives. Fox's jealousy at the one thing always denied to him grew with each passing moment. The muted holovid in the corner that read in bold letters that only served to fuel his growing antipathy.

_**Star Wolf Saves Lylat, Team pardoned and Hailed Heroes.  
** _

He had never cared for the fame and glory. The bitter taste in his mouth was not from the loss or experience of death he had felt. Nor the eternal emptiness he had seen on the other side. No, it was the feeling of betrayal and heartache that was eating him alive. The feeling slowly devouring him. Krystal and Panther stood together holding hands and smiling as General Peppy Hare handed them medals. In a flash, Fox unleashed the rage within and threw his tray at the set causing it to shatter on and fry upon impact. The holovid set began sparking as it smoked with fried circuitry; the liquid food he had been forced to imbibe splashed across it.

_Everything's gone wrong_.

He never understood how he could do everything in his power to do right and still wind up the loser. He avenged his father and mother along with the countless millions of lost souls; he saved the system three times over; once almost entirely by himself on Sauria. He kicked Krystal off his team to protect her because he feared that she would get harmed owing to him not being quick enough or not being there when he was needed.

That bitter taste in his mouth rose once more. Fox knew it was wrong then, and he knew it was wrong at that moment. It was his fault Krystal had betrayed them. No one but him had made a choice to throw her out of her own home due to his cowardice and lack of faith in himself and her. Fox knew he had been foolish had long since rooted in his mind. The pair of them were two parts of a whole, and he was missing his other half. It certainly didn't help that ever since she left, Fox had this migraine that would come and go. He hadn't a clue what it was, but the misery was as great as the gaping void of his heart.

_I should just pack my shit up and leave… Lylat doesn't care anymore. They only care who benefits them at the current time._

Fox's emotional diatribe would be brought to a halt as the door opened and Doctor Menderly entered. The old canine grabbed a wheeled stool and moved across the floor until he came to sit next to Fox. His narrow skull turning towards the smoking set let loose an exasperated sighed before turning back to the male vulpine.

"You know, those aren't cheap."

Fox did not reply to the question, but instead got right to the point. "When am I discharged?"

"Fox… there's no way for me to sugarcoat this, but you're a living miracle right now." The doctor was quite uneasy, ever since Fox had woken up and been back to the land of the living, he was more aggressive and far angrier. Gone was the heroic todd Menderly had seen defeat the invincible Venomian Armada or come barreling to Corneria's rescue in it's darkest hours. All that was there was seething anger waiting to lash out at any who dared to get in his way.

"You were dead for thirty minutes. Fox, you should be a vegetable right now with the brain damage that is supposed to occur after being gone for that long. Yet you're in perfect health mentally. Here, look." He said to the bandage covered vulpine and pulled out an X-ray. "Not one bit of brain death. Everything is there."

Fox looked over it curiously as he took in the information. His whiskers twitched as those slitted eyes moved over the picture in question. The brain was entirely healthy and lit up like New Year's sky.

"That is of course coupled with your miraculous recovery from not being Fox Flambe. You're an anomaly, and the scientific community wants to take a look at you and figure out how you're able to come back without any side effects. We did use some of Beltino's Nanites, but they aren't capable just yet of what we witnessed in recovery."

Fox's head bolted upright at such a speed that it made the doctor jump.

"I'm not your fucking guinea pig." He snapped with a voice full of vitriol. "When can I leave?" He repeated.

"Fox, General Hare-"

"Don't talk to me about that piece of shit, don't mention anyone from that life to me. It's over, Fox McCloud died on that operating table."

Menderly blinked at the definitive tone in Fox's voice. "Mr. McCloud… Fox, I know you're hurting. Creator knows after what you've been through and what you're going through now-

"Stow it doc. When can I leave?"

"Fox, I don't think you quite understand. Your fur grew back in record time, your scars do not exist. You are a living, walking, miracle!"

"I. Don't. **Care!** " Fox snapped at the dog before him; eyes brimming with animosity.

Menderly closed his eyes in exasperation. He'd seen it a thousand times in the service. He knew he would see it a thousand more. Fox wanted to get back in the saddle, and he was not going to take no for an answer. The old Doberman began to peel the bandages off of the agitated vulpine bit by bit. "As far as I can tell, you're perfectly healthy. How that is, is still a mystery and a subject for debate. Whatever else is at work here was in play."

Fox twitched an ear. "Whatever else is at work here doc?"

"Well… to be frank, and I know most Cornerians don't put stock in it anymore; but what I witnessed in that OR was nothing short of divine intervention Fox. Whatever happened to you on the other side, you brought it back screaming like a demon. It about made me shit my pants when you lashed out. Then the next three days of operating… you calling out for Kr-."

The todd grabbed the dog by the front of his shirt and snarled. "Don't you **ever** mention that name to me. She's the reason I'm even in this bed, to begin with."

The doctor frowned. _He already knows… but how?_ "Shit… I wish it weren't so, but I overheard some of the brass talking about it in the hallway. I'm sorry Fox, you don't deserve any of this."

"Just get me my discharge papers and let me go." He muttered as his fuming rage was disarmed for the time being.

"Well, as your doctor for the moment, I should keep you for observation due to your obvious mental distress. But, somehow I feel that would only cause you to become less cooperative. So here's what I'll do. We'll discharge you from the hospital, I'm going to recommend a psychologist for you to go see as well as prescribe some medication to help with your pain. I want you to stay around Corneria for a little while just in case things go… strange. Understood?"

Fox shook his head. "Fine doc." He grumbled. "How can I get out of here without being noticed. I want nothing to do with anyone from my old team or any other bullshit."

"Service elevator in the back. I've already had your clothing replaced, so you have something to wear."

"Thanks…."

"Just sign these papers, and you're free to go."

The next twenty minutes were spent with Fox being unhooked from various medical machinery, signing documents and copies being given to him. The outfit the doctor had replaced for him was almost identical to the one he had before, white flight jacket, green shirt, pants with a belt buckle, black flight boots, and a red scarf.

Fox clicked his tongue as he rode the elevator down to the service entrance for the hospital. He was glad to be out of that place, it stank of chemicals and death. While he had undoubtedly died, Fox had new plans for himself.

Fox had made the decision before he knew it. He was leaving. There was a whole vast galaxy full of scum and wretches that one could make money hunting down. He reasoned that Lylat didn't care who was their hero, so long as it served them. His family had abandoned him twice now, and the former love of his life had betrayed him in the worst ways. Fox's mental stability was genuinely in question, even he felt it as he returned to the spaceport and took a shuttle to the Great Fox without incident. The ship was just as empty as before. There was no sign of laughter or ribbing. Not even the smile of people he once called friends and family. The barren halls echoed about him, the sounds of unity long since dead.

_They abandoned me._

Fox felt himself fuming as he stormed his way deep into the ship, heading straight to his quarters.

_If they hadn't left in the first place, we would have been able to cut off the head of the Anglars before they even reached Corneria. And if I hadn't kicked Krystal out…_

Fox grit his teeth in anger as he punched a nearby metal wall. He didn't even flinch, such was his displeasure that the agony lancing up his arm only served to fuel it.

_It was for her own damn good! I couldn't take it! I couldn't stand the thought of her death!_

_I couldn't… I couldn't…_

The same words repeated themselves within his mind as he wandered the vessel. His guilt rearing its head as it threatened to strangle him at every turn. Fox felt that shame and woe building deep within his chest.

_It was your fault she betrayed you. Your fault that they left. Everything is your fault! You're the leader! They follow your example! Take responsibility!_

The door to his quarters opened with a hiss of hydraulics, and he entered. His already beleaguered mind being further tormented as a migraine began to set in. He clutched the side of his head while uttering a groan of discomfort. Fox found his way to the desk; opening a drawer only to slam his discharge papers in. Prescriptions and all unfulfilled remained unfulfilled as he closed it. The wall behind the counter was peppered in all sorts of newspaper clippings and pictures. But most of all, on the desk itself, was a picture of himself and Krystal. The curve of her smile and his own beaming features; he knew the look and for that short time in his life; Fox knew what it was to be happy and in love. It made his realization that came next even worse and all that harder to swallow as his ears splayed against the back of his skull and tail hung limply between his legs.

_You were a coward and a weakling. It's no wonder she ran off like that. She must have felt so stupid falling in love with someone like me._

Slowly the flames of animosity died away only to be replaced by Fox internalizing his grief and anger. He slowly began to realize that he hadn't been the leader they needed. No, he had been a coward and a fool. Fox did not address the needs of his team; Falco's independence, Slippy's desire for more and a family. His greatest regret though was not acknowledging Krystal's want to be more than just close friends. He had missed who knows how many chances to take their relationship to the next level. To evolve and grow into something more significant than either he or Krystal could have dreamed of.

_I was such an idiot, how could I be so stupid to send her away like that!? A coward like me didn't deserve to be near her. I should have told her how I felt. How much I loved her._

Fox hated the realization that came next. His tail thrashed in anger just as the thundering misery within his cranium felt as though it was pushing against the very walls of his skull. _She's better off with them; I only hurt her._ It was the todds nature; he was a kind and gentle soul despite the warring life he had led. In his heart, Fox was a good man, a just warrior and cared for his loved ones more than anything.

_I just hope she's happy._

The todd leaned back slowly into the chair that creaked from its age and lack of proper care. His head throbbed like that of an air strike hitting his head. His whole life had been upended, and he needed a way to get back on his footing. He couldn't sulk forever; the problem was he had little in the form of direction. The last thing he wanted to deal with was his family who had only come back **after** he had pulled their heads out of their collective asses. Just for everything to be torn out from under him. The torment his mind experienced was excruciating, near crippling but still, Fox fought through it as he tried to find some way to move forward.

"Leaving the system is my best option." The thought didn't sit well with him. The idea that he would slink off into the darkness of space, never to be seen again without a purpose was unsettling.

_What other choice do I have?_

Fox ran over the options in his head, trying to think of a plan, some kind of action he could take. "There's the Krazoa, they owe me one at the very least…" Fox frowned at that. The notion of going back to the top of Krazoa palace did not entice him at all, too many memories. The vulpine reasoned that it was not an option. Matters continued to deteriorate as his migraine grew ever more powerful. Fox couldn't handle more of that agonizing pressure; The todd knew he needed more rest. Fox uttered a weary grown and fumbled his way across the room to the soft feather bed and curled up as a miserable pile of emotions and suffering. He closed his eyes as his head felt fit to burst with the build-up of misery. After what felt like hours of tossing and turning, Fox finally managed to claim some semblance of rest. Fox's Consciousness faded as sleep took him and brought him a small amount of comfort.

During the night, unbeknownst to him; a visitor would come. Not someone he knew or loved, not one of his family. But one of the ancient Krazoa spirits. It's ethereal appendages flitted slowly through the halls and bulkheads. The entity phased through walls as though they did not exist in the first place. Its destination was the warrior who had saved so many and was once again lost amongst the tides of fate. Fox had died and risen once again. It worried the other spirits, to the point they sent one of their own to investigate on Fox and see how he was doing.

It was not that he was alive, it was the manner in which he came back. They had not intervened, nor did any deity they knew. For all intents and purposes, Fox's blind fury and rage that they had felt across the system was the culprit. The event was a mystery to them. It concerned the Krazoa greatly that Fox's soul was in jeopardy. His was a beacon in the darkness of Lylat, one that should have shown brighter than anything else beyond the central star. Yet his soul was far more dim than it ever had been previously. The Krazoa spirit loomed silently over Fox's still form as they slept. The strange masked entity making nary a sound as it examined Fox. The emotional wounds he bore were great and many; that a mortal could suffer such abuse and still find the will to live? It astounded the spirit. There was much strength in mortals, more so than they gave themselves credit for, however; the shade knew Fox's road ahead would be a long and painful one. It would be his ultimate test. Even with his anger stewing beneath the surface; the Krazoa would grant him not one, but two boons. Gifts that would at the very least let him tolerate the coming storm within his head and survive until Fox could get the proper assistance he needed.

The first was the ability to see through lies and deceit, but it would not be directly controlled. It would feed off of Fox's already sharp instincts and allow him to survive better in the galaxy at large. The Krazoa did not want him to abuse such a power; and where he was going, that ability would be potent in its own right.

His second gift was a ray of hope. The wispy entity settled just above Fox's sizeable triangular ear and whispered one word into it. A singular word that would fill the todds dreams with visions he could cherish in his slumber while the waking world tormented him.

" _Cerinia."_

The triangular appendage flicked quietly as Fox winced before settling in. With its mission complete the Krazoa spirit vanished silently into the depths of space. Fox was alone once more though he would never know the company he had that night.

Within his dreams; Fox found himself standing on a world he did not recognize. It was breathtaking beyond anything he thought ever imaginable. A blue sun hid amidst white clouds and a royal purple sky. The land covered in swaying chest height plants that looked similar to the common Cornerian wheat plant. Slowly, Fox came to the realization that there was only one place that fit the description. One that Krystal had told of him when she spoke of her planet on those rare occasions.

"Cerinia." He muttered quietly.

In the distance a glorious golden light as if a beacon for him and him alone and a gentle whisper like that of a mother graced his ears. Fox knew he should have been terrified, or at the very least surprised, but in its stead, he only felt a warm, affectionate grace.

"This way lies your redemption and the salvation of the one you love and her people."

Without a moment's hesitation, Fox began his journey to the beacon.


	7. Fallen

All was silent save for the gentle sound of the Sword of Menshar's massive plasma engines and the solemn beeping of the machine that was monitoring Fox McCloud's vitals. A pair of aquamarine eyes trailed his form up and down. Each brilliant orb was filled with guilt and destructive regrets that were ripping the brooding vixen apart inside. To see Fox in such a state made her heart ache in ways that she was all too familiar with; and yet were only magnified by the knowledge that she had caused him such despondency. The mere act of hearing her voice had sent him reeling and into the state he now resided in.

Krystal sat by Fox's limp form and gently stroked the tods warm crop of hair atop his skull, even now she felt undeserving of even being near him. She was the cause of his distress and suffering; but that was also the very reason she was here; the desire to atone for her sins and hope that he would let her back into his life. Every step she had taken until now was child's play by comparison; and when he woke up it would be either a wonderful healing moment for them both, or they would destroy each other in entirety. The anxiety of waiting for that time was running her ragged and with the presence of that damned armored woman nearby was not helping. The purple and azure armor concealed their appearance and Krystal had no idea who they were… or what she was to Fox.

"Would you just leave already!?" Krystal spoke sternly.

"No, I won't be leaving. He is my charge as well as my friend and commanding officer, though he will never admit to the latter most one. I will stay by his side until as such a time he no longer needs me or dismisses me, unlike you."

The Cerinian vixen bore her teeth in anger at the dagger that was wedged metaphorically into her chest. Krystal hated how right the trooper was; if she hadn't abandoned Fox in his time of weakness, she would still be with him and hopefully closer than ever before. Nor would either of them had gone so far afield.

"Well, if you won't leave, can you at least tell me who you are?" ,spoke Krystal as her palm sifted through Fox's cheek fluff. Somewhere, Krystal hoped that Fox would know she was there and had every intent of staying by his side. That his vixen would not abandon him a second time.

"Would it really matter to one such as you? Do you even care about him, or anyone else besides yourself? Let alone what he has endured out here because of you?"

The way the woman spoke conveyed an intimate understanding of Fox and gave her the worst impression that made her aching chest clench. The barrage of accusations being levied against her were not helping, neither was the pounding stress fuelled headache that was building at the forefront of her skull.

"Are you two lovers?"

"No. But we are dear friends, if your worry is that I hold his heart and we're together, you need not worry about that Krystal of The Cardinal Sun."

The use of her clans name caught her attention as she had never told Fox any of that information. The realization of such left a myriad of questions and distraught anger in her mind as she turned to the female with daggers in her eyes. "Tell me who you are, and how you know that name this instant!"

"I will tell you when he awakens, if he wakes. For now, I think you need to hear his tale, i'll order us some food and we'll start from where he and I met."

Krystal rolled her eyes. "Don't waste your breath-"

"If you want to be in his life again, you will listen, Krystal. It will help you understand his heart and mind, for he has done many great and terrible things in equal measure. You will have to live with the fact of what you drove him to if you wish to earn his love again."

_How does she read me so openly? It's like she knows my every intent and desire. I can't see her eyes but I feel like she's boring into my soul and reading me like an open book._

It didn't help Krystal had been doting on Fox's unconscious form from the moment he had been placed in the med bay; nor how she had reacted when the tod fell ill.

"If you truly think it will, alright, let's hear it."

"Answer the questions first, Krystal."

Krystal paused quietly as she thought about the questions that had been asked before all this… her tail thrashed left and then right before her eyes turned to the covered . "I'm here aren't I? I came looking for him, nothing else, I threw away my life on Corneria. If I had stayed, I wouldn't have been happy, but I would have been comfortable."

"Sometimes Comfort isn't enough, when you know you could have something better, something greater that requires another half of a whole." ,Replied the soldier.

Krystal closed her eyes as the words rang true. It might have taken a while, but what she had with Fox was special, something Krystal knew should have fought tooth and nail to protect and keep. Her voice rose once more as her eyes turned to Fox; gazing at his noble features, still as handsome as he was the day he disappeared. "All I want to do is tell him how sorry I am… how much I love him. What he does after that is up to him."

Beneath the helmet the vixen watched her counterpart closely; she felt anger at Krystal, rage that was growing but kept in check. This wasn't about her, this was about the two of them and she would do what she could help. But even for her, it would be a trial in patience and understanding.

She took a seat near the edge of the bed and began to tell her tale quietly. "Well, we met on Svestruga…."

**X-x-x-x**

The day was cold and hard, just as any other on the ice ball of a world. The frigid planet reminded him very much of Fichina way back in Lylat to which Fox tugged his large overcoat around his form with a single paw while his free one was clutched to the grip of a pulse carbine. Bitter bone chilling wind whipped him in the face as the visor shielded his eyes from withering air. The laser weapon in his palm was hot and primed as the shipment of goods came in through the coastal district rather than the space port. He had overheard his "bosses" conversing about some precious cargo they didn't need the police or customs snooping around.

Not that it would do anything, Svestruga was a corrupt world run by criminal families; all it would do is cause a minor fuss and then it would be buried under bribe money and not a lick of press coverage. Fox reflected on the fact that he had sunk so low to survive and now worked for the very criminals he once hunted. The irony left a bitter taste in his snout. A disgruntled snort from his nose erupted in puffs of air only for the smell of sea salt to rush in between blasts of teeth chattering cold air. The massive cargo freighter had begun to offload via crane and deposited the large rectangular containers into the nearby warehouse where Fox was assigned. With a sigh, he moved into the very structure and eyed the storage units as they were being opened one by one. Fox's teeth were bared in disgust just by being in the mere presence of the Vostruka Families goons.

Though he was employed by them on contract, and the money was good; they were still vile. Murders, blackmail, petty theft, extortion and a slew of other crimes Fox didn't care to name; if he had the support and money, he'd go to war with every family on the planet and clean house.

But that was another life, where he was a household name and could get aid for almost any endeavour from the myriad of planets; now, he was an everyman just trying to make his way in life. One container in question was giving them some serious problems as they tried to pry it open. Fox saw the opportunity to earn a little extra and made his way over after picking a crowbar up that was left to the side. A bulldog and raccoon whom he didn't care to know bobbed their heads in gratitude to the hired muscle as they all pried on the door until finally with a shearing of metal the doors swung outwards. Inside were multifarious crates of different makes and…

_Wait a minute…_

Fox's natural night vision kicked in and while it was still blurry, he saw several crates that were out of the ordinary, sealed up tight and certainly not anything he'd dealt with before. Gold, silver and-

_No, it can't be!_

Along each crate were various iconographies with all too familiar runes and symbols.

_Cerinian…_

An abrupt thunderous boom jolted Fox away from the capsule as the sound metal scraping along concrete filled the warehouse. Four men with high powered assault rifles and carapace armor yelled down at the handler's below. For the very same parcel they were guarding had been marked in bold red letters "Extreme Caution."

"Hey! You morons want her to get loose? If she does, she'll tear this whole place apart and kill everyone inside! Already lost half our group trying to catch this bitch! Fuck up again and it's your ass!"

Immediately Fox was on edge, that unit was for one person?! He knew of some life forms that were possessed of mega strength and insane physical potential like himself, but the fear in that mercs voice was rampant. Whatever was in there scared the shit out of them to the point they had enough firepower to take out a decent sized platoon.

Lady luck however; was not on their side and Fox felt it long before he saw it. The world around him slowed to a crawl and before his very eyes the crate that held whoever inside exploded. Molten splinters and fragments of high speed metal impaled those nearby and the men atop were utterly eviscerated in the destruction as those suits of armor became coffins.

Fox watched in an mixture of horror and fascination as a broad band of reality distorting energy rushed forth from the epicenter; the very ground and building around him bent and buckled with the audible groaning of metal stressing from unseen power. The distinct crumbling of concrete filled his ear as it gave way under the power, only for his observations to end when the wave hit him with the force of a small truck. End over end he rolled as the world resumed a normal pace with the din of battle filling the warehouse. The sounds of weapons discharge and yells of warehouse defenders filled the air alongside weapons discharge.

With a shake of his head that dusted him off, Fox picked up his own pulse carbine and slammed his shoulder into a nearby crate for cover. The tod poked his head around to see what the situation was only to witness a group of the Vostruka's men firing while back peddling, cartridges and batteries littered the floor around the feet as panicked voices flooded the air.

"She won't go down!"

"What the hell! Why can't we hit her!?"

Fox was about to join in when one of the men was abruptly lifted off his feet without a thought to the laws of gravity and then slammed into a nearby wall that turned the unfortunate soul into a fine paste. The sound of bones crunching made Fox wince as he clutched the rifle tightly to his chest. One by one the guns went silent until all was still; whatever monster was there would kill him for sure and while he was absolutely terrified of what he was about to face, the male centered his mind and rounded the corner, rifle at the ready only to come face to face with the most unlikely person he ever thought to see out here.

His green hues locked with dazzling seagreen gems that were rife with rage and hatred at everyone and everything, the vixen bore white fur over most of her face that extend out into a slender snout ending in a ink black nose. Short hair that cascaded down to the back of her head in the almost exact style he remembered from long ago. Her body was mostly naked save for a ripped cloth top and faded dingy loincloth, had Fox the time to think, he would have been assured she must be freezing. Of course, Fox's eyes were unable to tear themselves away from the vixen's own.

Fox did not get much more time to think as they were rudely interrupted when the vixen took his moment of surprise and snagged him by the throat with blinding speed and drove him into the container with enough force to dent it. The tod felt bones crack and even one or two break as blood erupted from his throat.

Through blood choked breaths Fox found his voice, crying out in desperation."K-Krystal! Wait! I'm sorry!" He pleaded as the vixen crushed him into the contained with god like force repeatedly.

It was like she couldn't hear him as she crushed him into the metal again and again, pain had begun to cloud his thoughts and his consciousness began to fade. The vulpine finally managed to scream out in his mind in an attempt to reach through the rage fueled vixen's mind.

_I'm sorry Krystal! Please! Stop! You're going to kill me!_

All of a sudden he was on the ground coughing up blood and choking as pain raced through his body. Fox's vision quickly began to fade out as all he could see were several white furred toes upon the vixens feet before he ultimately passed out.

**X-x-x-x**

"K-Krystal!?"

Fox bolted upright in his bed within the Kemtimok towers; his chest heaved with the power of a reactor going critical. The vulpines body felt chilly, and he found himself to be covered in a cold sweat. His room; which could be described as spartan at best, was quite neat, the studio apartment wasn't anything grandiose. Contained within its walls was a kitchenette, bathroom, a holovid set, his own personal computer and a single couch in front of the aforementioned vid set. His closet was filled with various weapons and outfits for jobs that he would perform, but other than that there wasn't much in the way of creature comforts.

Through panicked eyes Fox trailed around his apartment before they came to rest on particular blue vixen; had this been months ago, his first instinct would be to panic; instead, all he did was lay back on his bed in frustration.

"Fuck me, can't you leave me alone for one day!?" He complained.

"Everytime I turn around, there you are staring at me with those accusatory eyes and so full of hate, I just want to suck start my pistol. Just go away! I'm sorry! What more do you want?!"

Fox rolled over as on his side and let out a sigh of annoyance. "Was one hell of a dream-ack!" The sentence was cut short as a paw clutched at his chest in pain that shot through front to back, not a feeling of broken bones, but a soreness like he had been thrown around and may have been victim of said breakage.

"The hell… that's a first." He'd heard stories of dreams being so vivid that the mind could trick a person into feeling phantom pain or other aspects, but he never experienced it until now.

Fox was halfway to sitting up when a blue paw turned him over rather roughly and once more was greeted by the vixen he had wronged so long ago… To his sheer surprise, the touch was very real. It had never escalated so far before, he'd felt emotions and sensed something; but physical interaction was entirely new.

Alarm bells rang clear in his head and Fox began to thrash as he tried to get free; only for the vixens other paw to cup the side of his head and one single authoritative yet calming thought filled his mind.

_Still yourself. I am not going to harm you._

Fox felt his body compulsorily obey the vixen atop him. He lay still and gazed up at the vixen and began to notice subtle differences and things began to fall into place.

It was not in fact Krystal who was atop him. But damned if they didn't look like the splitting image of her. There were subtle rings around her eyes from the onset of age, her figure was fuller; more matron like. The azure vixen's form had filled out in eye catching ways that indicated she had children at some point. Her voluptuous frame was further complemented by her long luxurious strands of blue hair that reached all the way down to her back instead of the short cut he had seen earlier.

_Who are you?_ He thought to her calmly.

_I will answer soon enough, but I have one question that requires a reply before I tell. How do you know Krystal?_

It dawned on him that Fox was staring up at another Cerinian, no other species had those eyes or the blue fur. At least they didn't have it naturally; most he had seen were obvious dye jobs or contacts. Her fur was all natural as indicated by her undercoat and people seemed to always forget about that part. The question that she asked weighed heavily upon his mind and he could feel the floodgates buckling under the pressure of his guilt. The emotional pain he still felt day in and day out combined with the increasingly powerful migraines over the past few months were driving him mad. It didn't help that Fox saw Krystal everywhere he went which gave him the idea that he might be insane from the sheer power of his emotions. Rather than speak or try to tell her, Fox attempted to tap into his thoughts like how Krystal taught him to, so that he could show the vixen his past without a misunderstanding taking place.

That turned out to be a grave mistake.

His head slammed full stop and agony shot through him, such was the power of what occurred it threw the vixen out of his mind and caused Fox to clutch his head in pure torment. It felt as though someone were taking a jackhammer to his skull at full power and digging deep into his brain. The tod could feel it in his very toes and fingertips as a red hot lance of pain surged through him and forced Fox to tears.

The mysterious vixen had been sent reeling as she took the brunt of anguish from the sudden disconnect. She had sensed the tod was trying to show her something and then seemingly out of nowhere a barrier or some kind of mental block slammed into place… but he hadn't done that, not willingly anyways. It was almost like a natural defense mechanism had kicked in which did perk her curiosity. But with how her captive was writhing in agony; it left little time to reflect as Fox's suffering rolled off in discordant waves. Whatever was wrong caused him distress in volumes she'd not seen since the fall of her homeworld.

The alien vulpine before her was the only connection to someone she'd thought long dead and would damn herself before letting the singular lead die from some sort of mental hemorrhage. The tod groaned and writhed as he tried in vain to shield himself from the light, his head buried into the pillows as a pitiful whine of agony tore through the young man. To her, it felt as though someone were pouring molten lead into her cranium; a lancing heat that rushed through her entire body as the vixen steeled herself against the onslaught.

It wasn't all that was present however; just inside those waves of discord the vixen perceived patterns. Rhythms she had seen in the past, festooned in hatred, anger with interladen feelings of nostalgia and a desire for redemption. Whatever had happened in his past burdened him heavily and his mind was trying to shield the tod from it.

But then, just out of the corners of her eyes there was something that truly stood out to her, an article that could only be present if another Cerinian had lain it there and tried to foster it. But it was unfinished; raw, like an exposed nerve ending. The item in question was gentle silver pin of light surrounded by seas of antagonized crimson, only those with the gift could ever see it.

_A bond… a sloppily disconnected one._

The vixen knew she had to act fast, how he had survived for so long with that in his head was beyond her; whoever this fox was, he was something special and with him knowing about her lost kin, her course was clear.

Swiftly the cerulean fox went to work, she closed the blinds to the outside world and bathed the room in total darkness while silencing any machines that could make noise and cause the tods pain to deepen. She needed total silence and concentration if she was to bolster the vulpines mental strength.

There was one glaring problem that she could not deal with however… She could not fully repair the damage done; that would require the presence of the one who did it.

_What have you done, Krystal?_

There was little time to ask questions as the affliction threatened to shut down the vulpines very mind in a desperate attempt at self preservation; only, he would never wake up from such an act. It was like a concussion magnified tenfold with a burst embolism that could overload ones mental capacity to the point of death. That, or he would be rendered to a vegetable like state. With her senses regained; the vixen climbed onto the bed and gently placed her paws over Fox's and gripped them tightly. With a calming yet firm surge of mental power; she knocked the male vulpine out and put him into a deep state of slumber.

With the tod subdued she could get to work and begin sifting through his mind to unravel the question of just who he was and how he knew Krystal. The female closed her eyes and relaxed, the world slowly melted away and all became calm and quiet. No howling of the winds outside, not even the drippy faucet from the sink in the kitchen. There was naught but her, the tod beneath her and the slowly forming bridge between minds that allowed her to connect.

_Alright… let's just see who you are._

Her mind was abruptly assaulted by a sense of rapid movement, the disorientating sensation of spaceflight. Before her eyes fighter craft and mighty vessels fell before the strange crafts onslaught. The dash was lit up in alien runes and colors from a race or group she had yet to encounter, yet all the same she watched on with awe at the speed and power of the fighter she sat in. She picked up a sense of urgency mixed with adrenaline an anxiety that rushed through her mind that made for a potent combination. Thankfully, she was used to doing this sort of thing when she served as a priestess back home; the vixen detached from the occupants perspective which allowed her to take on different angles within the dream. The man who sat in the pilot seat was none other than the tod she encountered outside and in the warehouse. Yet he wore different garb. She eyed the fox up and down curiously as the vessel flew with blinding speed through hordes of foes, fighters, bombers, and mighty vessels. It mattered little as he cut down swathes of foes with ludicrous ease; no matter the ships size.

It bore the tell tale signs of a memory, not a dream, which meant she was living his past in the moment.

_But why this one?_

The tod's thoughts jolted her abruptly and before the fighter came a massive strange floating head, blue eyes and gems dotted about it's face with an elongated mouth. She had only heard stories of them once or twice, but any and all relics were long since lost. In a flash, her curiosity turned to surging fear as it spun around and saw _him_. The bastard that had destroyed her homeworld, the monster that was the cause of all her pain and the suffering of millions.

_Andross!_

The ape's yellowish red eyes were filled with madness and anger as he roared in a language that she could not personally understand. The small fighter with it's pilot lept swiftly into battle above a strange world she never saw before. Laser fire crossed the abyss of space and impacted all along the the gigantic apes features followed up with repeated blasts of burning white light much like a star detonating in a supernova. The massive floating hands and face tried to suck the ship in or swatt it like one would a fly, but to no avail; for several long minutes the fight raged before a well placed shot put an end to him. The ape's head buckled and convulsed before exploding dramatically in a ball of fire, bits and pieces of mask, and horrific mutagenic flesh.

_Wait, this is the one who killed Andross?!_

_Why is he here though?_

Mere minutes later he was on a vessel talking with a frog, a rabbit, and some kind of avian, it was clear they were close with how they communicated and body language told all.

_They're_ _like a family._

It was then she heard a door open with a hiss and whirr of gears only for the vixen to feel her heart stop as she turned. A sea of emotion swallowed her, joy, happiness, nostalgia and agonizing regrets for not being able to find her.

_Krystal..._

The sudden desire to know more grew with intensity, a burning fervor as she delved deeper into the males head. She found his name, where he came from, his home system and the names of his parents as she forcibly translated his language so she could comprehend him. Her earlier communications had been roughshod and mostly in Cerinian, but to the male, it would have sounded like his language. Though the vixen's intentions were noble; her hunger for knowledge made her less than gentle as her search caused Fox more discomfort. Once more she ran into that wall; and it would happen a multitude of times. The only memories she could access that included Krystal; were before and after an event called the Aparoid Invasion, and just before something called the Anglar War; whatever lay behind his mental wall was being guarded fiercely.

Even with the obstruction before her, the vixen saw plenty. Krystal and Fox had been close, very close; but he had hesitated and hurt Krystal deeply on an emotional level. Any other Cerinian would have reacted and harmed him in return… But the further she delved, the more she uncovered outside that barricade. What kept her from such anger, was his remorse. The fact he had and was still destroying himself over his regrets soothed her anger at Fox. One memory in particular stuck out to her, and with curiosity in full swing; she decided to investigate.

With her mind sharp and focused, she touched on the little node of darkness within his mind and was transported elsewhere into a deep memory, one he had tried to desperately bury and forget. She knew all too well the feeling and a forlorn scowl crossed her features as sympathy for Fox began to grow.

_We all try to run from our demons, and eventually, they catch up to us._

The vixen calmed herself and took in the scenery around her as it came into focus. What transpired next could be called nothing short of bedlam.

Fox grunted as the servos in his powered armor whirred and began to try and lift the debris that was pinning him to the street corner. The shielded vulpine snarled in escalation as his rage once more consumed him, bit by bit he lifted the heavy concrete only for the weight to be lifted. Several hundred pounds or more of building material came off his chest as sunlight broke through into the helmets blue tint eyes slots, marred only by the smoke of the burning city around them.

A fellow soldier leaned over him and there was a soft laugh through the radio inside the helmet. "Damn Reynard, you're one tough son of a bitch! Thought you were dead after that one."

The tod issued forth a derisive snort as the weight came away and allowed him to fully stand while dusting himself off.

"In this armor? It'll take more than that."

"Too right, this armor is the tits."

Fox took one look at the strange mammal in his armor, their species were called Jerboa… or something of that nature. Really bouncy mouse looking things, he was the teams scout and could get to places where others could not. The mouses armor specially designed for his species and to enhance the already excellent jumping capabilities which made him a lynch pin of operations.

"How's the rest of the team?"

"Pretty good! Few knocks on the ol' think tank, but nothing we can't deal with."

"Good, I plan to make an example of these little shits." Fox uttered with a snarl.

The vixen felt his unchecked rage surge forward as his long standing emotional wounds had festered and now the vulpine just did not care. She watched on as the armored squad moved forward in their surprisingly sleek combat armor, whoever designed them wanted efficiency as well as capacity and succeeded in spades. She was acutely aware of Imperial Power Armor, but then why was Fox, a man who had saved the galaxy from Andross's scourge working for these people? Her curiosity once more piqued as she watched on.

"Move forward!" The tod thundered in a voice rife with command; the mercs all answered as they broke cover despite the withering fire from those that opposed them. The squad of twelve began to advance towards the source of incoming fire as their armor took the brunt of the damage. Projectiles ricocheted as they were unable to find purchase in the well honed protective plates; plasma and laser shots dissipated as the suit compensated for the sudden surge in temperature and absorbed the heat into its own core.

Grenades, missiles, rifle fire and heavy weapons discharged on the rebel position in retaliation. Their little banner waving in the wind with several strands of red and white on it and a singular star in the center with text surrounding it written in one of the local tongues. It read akin to "Free the people from the chains of oppression." or some bullshit of that nature.

_Hypocrites, the lot of them!_

The silent observer could feel Fox's animosity towards these people, and she could understand why. She knew this battle, it was a huge event that was televised throughout the systems. Onaor IV. The so called "heroes" of the people were anything but; the atrocities they committed were well known and all in the name of supposed freedom from the empire.

She remembered that one man had led a team to break their chain of commands back deep into enemy territory, and that he was the only survivor.

_If this is him..._

She watched on as Fox and his team plunged deep into the fight, outnumbered easily three to one yet still they pushed. The team was harrassed on all sides, bullets plinked off armor that no doubt unnerved the occupants within. Missiles impacted along several paths of advance as the opposition zeroed their positions.

_Fucking rebels, fucking liars, every last one of them! I've seen their type before and so help me I'll kill all of them!_

The blood was roaring in Fox's ears with his adrenaline in full swing, there was nothing but murder on his mind and he aimed to unleash it all on the rebels. His rifle kicked and spat forth doom from the end of it's barrel with searing green bolts of plasma striking the less armored rebels and ending their lives in an instant. Anyone who got close enough found themselves with a taste of his rifle butt, knife, or a powered fist to their chest.

_By the gods… they're unstoppable._

That was far from the truth; one by one the other mercs who had volunteered for this job were falling, even the swift bouncing Jerboa had gone silent some time ago, but Fox didn't stop. They all knew this was a suicide mission and their chance of returning was minimal; but the pay was excellent. Fox didn't care though, not about the lives of those who came with him, nor about the rebels and their cause. At the end of it all, was money. All his empathy and worry was utterly spent as anything outside the mission was secondary these days and to Fox. There was only one thing on his mind.

To cut off the head of Rebel Command.

As soon as the rest of his squad had gone down or were combat ineffective; Fox bolted, not away from the fight, but further in! His natural speed and state of fitness combined with the armor allowed him to sprint at speeds that even made some of the oppositions automated defenses stutter in their tracking. Fox knew where their HQ was and the man would not halt until he had his fingers around the leaders throat and strangling the life from them.

Fox weaved to and fro through the fire, his instincts guiding him with each bounding step as the hydraulics in his legs cushioned the blows upon the concrete below. No one could stop him, no one could even slow him down even as the minimap in his suits user interface zeroed in on his objective. The building was just ahead; and with the tolerances this suit had against blunt force trauma, Fox was confident he would be fine.

The tod was more than happy to test his theory as he came crashing through concrete and metal like a force of nature, dust and debris kicked up with rifle leveled in front of him. His suit's automatic detection system found obstructions and activated its thermal imaging; every single soul in the room stared at him with horror in their eyes. The confidence that he would not reach them had been sucked out of the room like a hull breach in space.

The Cerinian watched on as Fox examined the room through his visor and took in each and every target, one brave individual charged him firing a ballistic rifle at full auto only to be slammed upside the head and thrown to the side like a broken ragdoll. The poor bastard never had a chance.

His was a hit and run mission and would not be staying for long. Without an inch of remorse or thought, he pulled on the trigger and emptied the battery within seconds. Soldiers and command personal alike were gunned down without so much a word until all that remained was a lone white furred lapine with a patch over her eye and a scar that raced diagonally across her features.

Fox walked straight up to her and lifted the woman off her feet, gauntlet grip tightened around her throat. He had no issues with killing females if they were a threat or a target, he had learned long ago that the opposite sex could be just as deadly… if not more so than the males.

"Anato Revarom, I hope you rot in hell for all that you've done."

Before she could even respond Fox clenched the servos in his suits glove and without so much as a how do you do, her neck snapped and the body went limp. Fox didn't need to talk to her, the only thing that mattered was the mission and with the primary objective complete, he could turn his eye to the secondary objectives. The suited vulpine swiped the enemies hard drives of all their data and wiped it clean, but only after depositing a rather nasty virus into the rebel battlenet. With the job a success, Fox broke through another section of the building and left a large satchel charge behind that demolished the structure in its entirety. A sense of accomplishment filled him only to have it sour as a redline of text came up on his suits user interface.

**Warning: Allied suits compromised! Activate self destruct protocols?**

He didn't even hesitate, there was no thought to his actions; only doing what he felt was right. A being of pure instinct and action.

"Activate."

Eleven large detonations went off that were at the very least worth a weight of one-thousand pounds in explosive force. She could feel the concussive blasts from where Fox was as he raced towards the edge of the city. It was all but certain when they detonated that the blasts killed everyone who had been trying to pry open the suits.

_By the gods… not even a moment's pause, He killed the team and those who had them. Along with that woman, but then again, after the atrocities those rebels committed, I can't say I entirely blame him. Not to mention what they would do to the team if any survivors were there..._

The world seemed to fast forward as Fox was now outside the armored suit which was wheeled away elsewhere. A rather flashily dressed grey furred feline bedecked in his officers uniform, all black with gold shoulder laurels and a white full cape attached to his back.

"You have done well Mr. Reynard, a shame that the rest of the team didn't make it, but reports tell me you took care of that. Thank you for preserving our technological secrets."

Fox only wore a faded green sleeveless shirt with a similarly colored pair of pants and black combat boots.

"Whatever, I just want to get paid." he spoke firmly.

"Of course; though my superior Lord Turae has an offer: For your excellent services in this matter, he wishes to give you a permanent contract attached as part of his retinue. Considerable pay, benefits and the prestige that comes with it. All that would be require of you is to act as the lords personal-

"No. I prefer to do things my own way. If Turae wants my services, he knows how to contact me. Just give me my pay and I'm on my way."

The feline was flabbergasted that someone would reject such a handsome offer. "Mr. Reynard, I assure you, the empire, and especially Lord Turae do not take kindly to their hand being bitten. I would hope that you rethink your decision."

Fox snorted and shook his head. "And I am no ones servant, I get asked to do a job, that's it. Now, money, or do I have to get violent to get what I earned?"

_How can someone who was close to her be this aggressive? So violent and hateful? When he snapped that rabbits neck, he -relished- it! Yet when I move to the present he feels shame and remorse… This is the Savior of Onaor IV? I hope no one who's thought him a hero ever met him. They got the story all wrong._

For the next few hours the vixen swam through Fox's mind in an attempt to garner all that she could and finally moved towards that frayed link. The mind was like a set of neural pathways just like an X-Ray would show; she went from path to path as she jumped around. It wasn't necessary to follow strictly, but with the precision of which she needed to deal with this ailment was crucial and thus chose the safer route. Admittedly, she had entered his mind for that very reason; but the moment she saw Krystal, all other thoughts had become secondary.

_I can't repair what I didn't do, but I can certainly ease your burden Fox._

And ease it she did; channeling her own mind she forged a new bond, not an intimate one of lovers, but much like those of the soldiers whom she served with long ago. It would allow her to communicate with him instantly, feel his pain and worries. Likewise, he would feel hers as his mind seemed capable of accepting such a thing. Slow but sure, she felt their minds intertwine and embrace one another… to her surprise it was easy; almost like he was attuned to such an action; and that was even before she touched on the shattered link. His mind fell so naturally in tune with hers it was like she was dealing with another Cerinian.

_Strange, I wonder if it's just him or the effects of Krystal, or perhaps something to do with his species? Questions I will have to find answers to._

With the link cemented with Fox, she turned her attention to the crippled link as much as her skills would allow her to; she didn't want to try and interact with it directly as that may do more harm than good. In a way, she was using her own psionic power to act as a sort of balm, an empathetic link as the tinged red part of his brain began to lessen over time. She knew that it would take weeks, perhaps months of treatment before Fox would be perfectly stable again. Extensive damage had already been done and from the looks of things; had he gone any longer without any kind of treatment; Fox would have succumbed to madness or like earlier, his hallucinations. For now, Fox's Cerinian companion settled in for the long haul.

Back in the present on The Sword of Menshar, Krystal listened to the tale intently as her tail lashed side to side in rapt focus and ears perked forward in rapt attention.

The officer across from her had kept out some parts of the tale thus far, of that she was certain. She was evasive on points and there a few interactions that seemed to get glossed over or hurried past. Not to mention her name never came up, nor a rank. Krystal was about to ask a question when the door to the infirmary opened and both their food and the ships doctor arrived simultaneously. Krystal's curiosity burned as it seemed they were keeping appearances hidden for the time being, the Khanates were a secretive bunch. The one with the food was bedecked in a cloth like substance, not needing full armor or clothing for service work. The figure broad of shoulder and the way they walked indicated a male body structure. All that was shared was a prompt salute followed by a turn on the heel and then departure with the food left behind. The second individual was done up in full garb, mask and all concealed his appearance. The pure white cloth held a bold red cross on the left shoulder which indicated he was medical personnel.

Krystal watched as the doctor and her host exchange a salute before they began to talk in a tongue she had never heard before, it was harsh, guttural and damn near made her ears grate from it. Her interest was furthered when the marine gestured towards herself rather emphatically and then towards her wayward lover on the bed.

_I wish I knew what they were saying…_

The cobalt vixen thought about prying in with her psionics, but Fox did not keep normal company, not in the slightest. This woman, whoever she was, could easily be trained against such intrusions and Krystal knew she was a guest at Fox's behest and any shenanigans on her part would likely put both his person and reputation in jeopardy.

The Cerinian vixen continued to watch inquisitively until the warrior's posture changed, her shoulders slumped and the covered tail went still. Her fists balled tightly as she spoke curtly to the doctor who rapidly turned about and exited through the door as though some great fear had overtaken him. Krystal observed as the veiled soldier reached out to the bed and placed a palm on it, her helmet gazing over over Fox with apparent concern for the orange vulpine.

It was the question that was most forward on her mind that broke the silence, and it would prove to be a harrowing experience.

"What's wrong with Fox?"

She stood quietly as though death itself were in the room; chills ran down Krystal's spine as the woman before her said nothing or even so much as acknowledged that she had spoken. What perturbed her the most, was when they replied.

"You know damn well what's wrong, Krystal of The Cardinal Sun." Came her response, tone dripping with enmity. "You drove him out here, you cast him down. You severed the link without a thought to his well being!" Each phrase caused the woman's voice to rise in tone. "Like someone with a new pet, you rushed head first into it without thinking of your own responsibilities to him! And in your rush you dishonored not only yourself, but your family, your loved ones, and above all else, me!" By the time she reached those last words, the soldier was looming over Krystal, bile spewing forth from the synthetic voice and for the first time in what felt like an age, Krystal felt true fear.

Her voice quaked in uncertainty as she reared back, crawling into a corner at the power of that voice, the intense authority and spine melting strength that lay within it.

"Who are you?!" Krystal shouted back, desperate for any ground to gain and establish herself in the argument. It was to her shock she watched as the soldier undid the latches that held the helmet in place and ripped it off wildly only to throw it across the room. A loud clatter echoed off the walls signaling it's impact but Krystal's eyes were glued forward the person before her; long exposed cobalt locks whirled around her head shortly before those scornful eyes to connected with Krystal's own. Both sets of blue-green eyes locked together, one set widened in every inch of disbelief in who she was looking at, and the elders pair focused in parental admonishment of the vixen on the ground.

A thousand different emotions screamed through Krystal, love, joy, fear, shame, and sadness all at once. Desperately she tried to find some semblance of a sentence or try to get herself to move and embrace the older vixen. Yet she sat there, rooted in place by the vixen's withering gaze.

"M-Mother?!"


	8. The Beginning

Mother. It was a word that Krystal never thought to pass her lips again in this life. One that echoed around the chamber with a powerful and hypnotic utterance as disbelief reared its head. All the while she gazed up at her own flesh and blood.

For indeed it was her, Sylvara of The Cardinal Sun; matriarch and leader of the fallen clan. The matron was visibly filled with as much confusion and anger just as her child while shame and animosity consumed them both. The desire to discipline and punish Krystal for the dishonor she had brought about was nearly as great as her hatred for Andross. What should have been a singular happy moment in both their lives was marred by foreknowledge of what brought them here. With what Sylvara knew, the actions her daughter took found both Fox and Krystal out in these gods forsaken systems… She was having to use all her will to not lash out.

Cerinians were many things, prideful, resolute and compassionate; but there are two particular subjects where they falter and reveal their mortal cracks. Betrayal and shame; these ideas had led to more than one falling out among Cerinians, exiles, executions, even good reasons were rarely tolerated. Her daughter had done both in ample amounts and the fruits of her actions lay right behind them as Fox clung to life in his deteriorating state.

"He's dying." The older vixen said coldly. "And while the doctors may not know why. I do, and so do you. Perhaps it is fate that brought you here, whether it's as punishment or atonement, I don't know. But he will die if something is not done; and you hold the key to his life."

To say Krystal was in a state of shock would be a underwhelming; the vixen wanted to say so many things but as what Sylvara said cut through to, those confused eyes became pinholes.

"W-what? What do you mean he's dying?!" She shouted. "Where have you been? Why didn't you come find me!?" The vixen uttered with desperation in her voice.

"One thing at a time Krystal, Fox's life is on the line. Do you have any idea what you did to him Krystal? Or did you forget all your training in your temper tantrum?!" The vixen snapped back. "Take a look for yourself and use your gifts for the love of the gods you ignorant child!"

This wasn't the mother Krystal remembered. The vixen recalled a woman who was loving, tender, caring… no; this was a woman hardened by the loss of everything, her homeworld; the family she long fought for and cultivated with deep personal sacrifice. And now she was witness to her child's actions which brought embarrassment to her and what was left of her people… It was no surprise why Sylvara was livid.

With how the older of the two was behaving, it was clear Sylvara knew everything. Fox had shown her with his memories just like she taught him. Like he had shown how he had suffered at her hands even though Krystal knew he was likely beating himself up and being harder on himself than she ever could. Her actions were just salt on an already open and bleeding wound.

With a tumultuous sigh, Krystal did not try to rebuke her mother and did as she was told. The azure vixen stood up and gently maneuvered herself around her wroth mother and came to settle beside Fox. Krystal relaxed herself as much as she could with those fierce eyes boring into the back of her head as she tapped into Fox's mind. At first, all seemed right as his brain was in a good state of health, his neural pathways were excellent; at least until what her mother wanted her to see became obvious. Just as Sylvara had all that time ago it was there glowing, red and angry; a blaring alarm of poor mental health that was spreading like an out of control disease to other parts of his mind. If treatment wasn't applied… he would die as his very mind decayed under the effects of a frayed psionic link desperately seeking its counterpart. The vixen also noted that the gentle roots of another connection lay at it's very side. This one a distinct calm teal surrounded in a sea of crimson. She knew the signature and it obviously belonged to her mother. Sylvara had cultivated a personal bond between her and Fox to keep one another strong. It held no small amount of love but not the kind of love one had for a mate, more a familial bond or one a soldier would have with their squad.

Krystal in that moment came to realize just how much she had hurt Fox, not just emotionally, but physically and mentally in the literal sense.

The stern voice of her mother echoed in her thoughts.

_You forgot why our people were so careful with those outside of our species, why we wouldn't take them as mates. It is rare to find someone so compatible with us and able to withstand our gifts. You found one such as him, a great warrior and hero… then, you tossed him aside because of his fear, rather than doing what any good Cerinian would do with their love; stand by their side even when they make mistakes. Even if it hurts us. Such was the depth of his love that he pushed you out of his life and away from him. For you, not for himself. And you threw that love back in his face by joining his enemies, almost killing him by your own actions and dating not only one of his enemies, but a murderer and someone far beneath your worth._

The next words spoken out loud and the effect shook Krystal to her very core. "I did not raise a childish whore."

Krystal had enough of that and whirled her head around, tears in her eyes. "And what would you know?! All you have is his memories and how he saw things! You don't know my side!" She shot back, the vixen trying to desperately cling to any sense of pride in who she was as her own mother tore her down on the spot.

"Because I have been apart of his mind for a year trying to keep him stable until as such a time I could find a cure for his condition. That, and a vain hope that I could convince him to go back to Lylat and you. But the mere thought of it caused him to have mental breakdowns. You have no idea just how deep his pain runs for what he did, and all you can think about right now as he lays dying before your eyes is justifying your actions to me. You asked who I am, but the better question is, who are you, Krystal? Why are you here?"

"And what about me? What about my hurts and pain that I endured because of him! He took everything from me after Andross took you and everyone else!"

Sylvara gazed upon her daughter and nodded solemnly in understanding. "You have a right to be upset; but the moment you escalated to treachery is when you crossed the line. Any and all sympathy was lost at that very intersection. You had options, talk to him, leave him, go find work elsewhere -after- you cleanly severed that link and not leave him on borrowed time. I saw the crash and how he felt you near after you took that device and flew off with Wolf and his team leaving him to die in a sand blasted hell hole. I have felt his heartbreak time and time again through his dreams and nightmares. He has only ever wanted one thing, and that's your forgiveness. Even after all this time he still loves you. Yes, his actions were foolish and fueled by equal parts love and fear… but he still acted out of love and worry for your safety. And how did you repay him?"

"With spite befitting that of an undisciplined teenager."

Krystal shook on the spot as the truth hit her like a nova bomb and only fueled the anxiety that was tearing her apart. What her mother said was true. Fox's decision was stupid, foolish and unnecessary… but it was still an action fueled by love. Her behavior was fed by spite and hatred and she took it to the next level after leading him into that trap. The very same that had led him to hospitalization and deaths door.

Krystal realized that If Fox and Sylvara had been linked like this for so long; then that meant her mother understood Fox better than she ever did. The tod had been fearful of her losing her life which was the leading reason why they never went beyond kissing, cuddling and hand holding. It was dawning on her that the entire time they were together he had been worried about losing her. She reasoned it was why he was so overprotective and terrified of taking their love to the next level. It still made her feel like a burden and even made that resentment once more rear its head. Yet for all of that, Krystal was grateful that he was still alive and there was a chance for reconciliation, even if it was going to take backbreaking effort.

It was that realization that made her turn back to Fox and run her left paw over his head; as if by instinct or some grand sign that Fox was still there even as his mind failed. The orange vulpines head moved subconsciously into her touch and mumbled something under his breath as he slept. The sea-green eyed vixen blinked and repeated the same move only this time she lowered her ear to his lips to listen close and try to discern what he was saying.

At first the words were jumbled and incoherent, but she quickly picked up what was being said. It was three slow syllables, almost slurred as his mind was giving way under the pressure.

"I'm… Sorry."

"I'm… Sorry."

"I'm… Sorry."

Tears that had been threatening to spill for sometime finally gave way. It was just as her mother had said; even on his deathbed Fox only wanted forgiveness. His thoughts were of her and his sins against her. Krystal knew what she had to do and just as she was about to jump into his mind to make things right, an arm pulled her back. Her head turned to gaze upon the assailant only for her eyes to lock upon Sylvara who loomed over her. The matronly vixen growled threateningly at her daughter.

"Don't you dare do it, not unless you mean it. It would be better if he died without ever seeing you again than to live in false hope and love. Your next actions will carry weight for the rest of your life and his. Make your next choice with exceptional care, my daughter."

Krystal knew she had a decision to make and it all hinged on a series questions: Did she truly still love Fox? Was her heart still for him? All the time she spent in space... was it just to see him one last time only for the tod to slip through her fingers as she sought some sort of closure? Was this for her, or them?

Despite all her struggles and the promises she made, Krystal's heart and mind were both plagued with self doubt. The cobalt vixen had to be honest with herself and with that honesty in mind, there was only one answer she could arrive at.

_I don't know._

**x-x-x-x**

Wind rolled over Fox's furred body as he gripped the side of the sheer cliff face, his paws dug into the hard ground and hauled himself up with his body naked save for a loincloth to make himself decent. Fox had been scarred, bloodied, battered and bruised, one eye had long since swollen shut and lost to infection; yet despite the wound he trudged forward. Determination filled his soul and gave him strength; humility gave him the will to see his trial through. Inch by bloody inch he ascended until finally upon reaching the top he threw himself over to the safety of flat ground. His lungs burned, lips cracked and bleeding and yet the air tasted as sweet as the day he put Andross down for good. But, Fox knew he could not stop,even in his exhausted destitute state the tod urged himself onwards.

The trees around him seemed to part way of their own accord as his progress continued, that brilliant golden light was so close, so very near. The warmth it radiated could be felt for miles around. The sensation of how it embraced him and mildly soothed his aches served to only egg him on. Every day he woke that voice would call out to him with words of encouragement and promises of rewards that awaited him. Fox cared little for his withered state. He would get to that damned light or die trying as the promise of salvation was too great, the idea that he could make things right a powerful call. All he wanted in his heart, was to be with the vixen he loved most, to redeem himself in the eyes of his loved ones and rebuild that which had been broken by his decisions. The path forward became clear as the flora parted and that gorgeous blinding light filled his vision and caused sight to greatly diminish. In spite of the glow, Fox pushed himself to the very limits until he found himself surrounded by that brilliant gilded light that lined the halls on either side flourished with luminescent pearl floors that brimmed with ethereal beauty.

_What is this place?_

Fox felt a sense of peace there, calm, warmth and welcome; as if a home for those who traveled long and far through arduous and painful times. It felt as though years of attrition had caught up to him and Fox's legs finally gave out as he collapsed to the floor in a heap. He felt exasperated, hungry and sore all over. Fox knew his body could go no farther. It felt as though years had passed and he had aged considerably with how many aches and pains ran through him.

_But… where am I?_

All at once a gentle otherworldly voice wafted along the air and graced Fox's ears like the sweetest of honey.

"What is thy desire?"

Fox blinked as he took deep lungfuls of air. That wasn't what he was promised, he was told salvation lay here. Why was he being asked what he wanted?

"Who are you?" He uttered through painful gasps as his lungs burned in atrophy.

"Why is thy desire?" Uttered that serene voice once more.

_Is this some kind of test? This whole time I've been walking and running towards who knows what, I never even thought to ask myself what might be waiting._

The question, straight and to the point was one he had been asking himself for almost two years.

What did he desire?

Absolution? Salvation? Another chance at a good life?

_No… no, none of those things…_

Fox closed his eyes as he bore his heart on his wrist, eyes gazing over the glittering halls as he finally gave his answer.

"Forgiveness."

It's all he ever wanted. Even in the initial months when he was so full of blood thirst and hate at the universe. Fox knew that at his heart, he ever only wanted one thing out of life… and that was to hear the woman he truly loved speak three words that could set him free from his own personal hell.

"That's all I want… to say I'm sorry. To be forgiven for my selfish decision, I was wrong, stupid and terrified. I treated her like a ward rather than the woman I loved. She was and is still precious to me, I have and would do anything to make sure she was happy."

The voice did not answer, instead; he heard the clattering of wood off stone floors followed by shuffling footsteps and the fluttering of cloth.

"Even if it means your life?" That same voice belonging to a strange vixen who wore cotton blue robes that covered most of her face. All he could see was the end of her long slender snout and a pair of deep navy blue eyes that bore into his mind. In her right paw was a wooden staff that tapped the ground with each step she took. The vixens fur was white as snow and to Fox he swore he could see clear through her. The way in which she walked was like she glided upon the air.

"Yes…" he answered quietly. "Yes. I would give my life for her."

The vixen approached until she stood before the disheveled vulpine, eyeing him and staring at him as though it were his very soul in her eyes.

"There is still much anger and hatred within you Fox McCloud, you have not dealt with your innermost demons, yet you speak of seeking forgiveness? Have you not thought of how you harmed her?"

Fox shook his head and laid tiredly on the cool luminescent floor. "Every day since I met her mother, even before that. I've thought about my mistakes, every single day I see her and she's just staring at me, ready to kill me. And I know I deserve it... We've both lost so much, gained so little and all I did was add onto that."

The vixen watched him with an appraising eye not interrupting him as Fox confessed all to her.

"All I want to do is make sure she'll be safe, and happy. Even if it's not with me."

"You take much blame and guilt upon your shoulders, even for things you cannot control. It is both a weakness and a strength. Your empathy though tarnished, is still strong."

Fox snorted quietly. "Think that's mostly from Sylvara, she's managed to keep me on the straight n' narrow… but, dumb question, who are you?" A grimace of pain crossed his features as his stomach throbbed and arms ached; the infection that consumed his eye hurt like a thousand wasps stinging him simultaneously.

The arctic colored vixen mirthfully smiled. "I have a few names Fox, but most simply just refer to me as The Mother."

"Well… I wish I could say it was nice to meet you but I feel like death warmed over."

"For one who has died and come back to life of his own tenacity, that joke is rather ironic."

"I try." he said with a ratcheting coughing fit. "So, what now? I made it here."

"Well, you sit at a crossroads Fox, as does Krystal. There are still many demons within that you need to conquer. How can you seek reconciliation if your mind and heart are clouded. You bury your suffering instead of dealing with it."

Fox slowly brought himself to his knees so that he could gaze up at the woman before him. "It's all I know how to do."

The vixen tilted her head and kneeled before the haggard tod. "If you are to love her as you say you do, and cherish that same love; you need to trust her unconditionally with your heart and the man within. Without that basis, you will fail in every life. Here… let me show you."

Fox blinked as The Mother reached out to touch him gingerly on his shoulder and a sudden sensation of flying filled his being, his depth perception returned as though his eye regenerated and god did it hurt. It felt as though fire coursed through his veins and purged every single ache and pain from his body yet was replaced with the sensation of revivification as his life force sprang anew which was echoed by grunts of pain and sweet relief. It was short lived however, for his mind became flooded with a series of vivid memories not his own.

In the first one, Fox was clutching a wound in his chest from a blaster shot, thankfully he was wearing carapace armor and it looked survivable. He lay at the base of a familiar tropical tree which was only found on one planet: Sauria. But what hurt him the most and grabbed his attention was who stood opposite holding the rifle that had shot him in the first place. Krystal, in a similar suit of armor decked out in Star Wolf colors with the barrel of her gun smoking and face filled with hate as she gazed down at the man who had wronged her. She was ready to plug him with another shot as his counterpart closed his eyes and waited for death, only for him to utter a single phrase that seemed to disarm the vixen. It was so strange, he could see all these actions yet not hear a sound. Thankfully though, he could read lips. His counterpart said something to effect that he was sorry and hoped that she could forgive him in time. That single phrase made her arms shake and tears spill from her eyes as she fell to her knees beside the tod and grabbed him by the armor plate just under his neck and dragged him forward till their noses bumped together. The vixen uttered a string of words and Fox read them with clarity.

"You belong to me, and don't you ever forget it." Krystal promptly crushed her lips to his doppelganger with such intensity that it made Fox envious of what he was watching. Such passion and hunger that it made his tail curl slightly around his leg in excitement at the thought of what lay in Krystal's heart.

The image soon shifted away and the second was stranger than the first. A near replica image of himself that was taller, stronger and more resilient stood back to back with another version of Krystal who was shorter by about a head with sword in his palm and her staff drawn with blaster holstered on her hip. The very same sword which Sylvara had given him as a gift and promise glowed bright green and baleful as they prepared to fight what looked like medieval knights and some rather fantastic monsters that looked like they were right out of a fantasy novel. Fox wore a full suit of chain mail and Krystal what looked to be a sort of flight suit in blue and black, similar to her old outfit from before the Anglar Blitz. The image made little to no sense to him yet it still held that aura of familiarity.

The last image was one that truly harrowed him; Krystal sat alone in a room he did not recognize; sorrowful and morose. She looked aged well beyond what she should have been. A Blaster in one palm while her other held a faded red scarf. Her eyes had deep rings from insomnia with a fine trail of tears down each cheek as her once lustrous fur and vibrant eyes were now dull and dim. She was not the vivacious vixen he knew and loved, but a hollow shell of whom she'd once been. After a short while Krystal finally let go of the scarf and placed the barrel in her mouth.

"No!" Fox shouted at the image. "No! No! No!" He begged and pleaded as he tried desperately to reach out to her and stop the atrocity before his eyes.

It was only when the door to the room flew open and there Fox stood with eyes full of horror and desperation only to throw himself through the air and tear the gun from her mouth and hand. Fox bowled Krystal over and buried his face into her neck as he pinned her wrists to either side and both vulpines proceeded to break down and weep. Each fox began to speak to the other in hurried voices as Krystal was quickly agitated with her wrists still pinned while the other version of Fox dispensed as much love and care as he could in a way familiar to canids and canines alike. Tender tongue lashes to the snout and bumps of their noses. Fox's counterpart must have been terrified she might try to kill herself once more as he held those wrists in place. Fox watched on as the tormented Krystal's visage faded from abject anger, to sorrowful glee as she began to return the alternate Fox's affections and the pair would continue as he watched Krystal's lips moved and he was grateful once more that he could read lips.

_A celo 0ei_

_A celo 0ei_

_A celo 0ei_

Fox mouthed it and knew what it meant as his heart wrenched and ached.

"I love you…"

And as quick as they came, the visions faded. Tears ran in streams down his cheeks as he looked to The Mother.

"W-what was that?"

"A glimpse into other versions of yourself across oceans of time and space. Those who have lost their way only to find love again, and one who stood loyal at his beloved's side regardless of the danger. There are other far more horrific fates I have glimpsed, but those are few and far between thankfully. I only wanted you to understand just how far your connection with Krystal goes. It is not often such a thing comes around; it is powerful, tremendous… and terrifying. Mortals do not always respond well to it, but in your case you have been given a second chance to make things right. You stand at a pivotal moment in life. Some call it fate, others destiny and the truth of the matter is, even I don't know. It's one of the universes great mysteries. And all of this started the moment you rescued her from the Crystal on Sauria. Do you remember the message from the Krazoa?"

Fox flinched slightly and nodded his head in affirmation. How could he forget the most memorable adventure of his life?

"You are meant to be together. It is your destiny. Together as one, you will bring peace." He uttered quietly as the words passed his lips. Fox's eyes timidly trailed from the vixens legs and up those endless soothing navy blue hues with a burning question on his mind.

"What are you? God? A God? The God?"

The vixen giggled and shook her head. "There are quite a few who call me such, but, think of me as just someone on a higher plane of existence, terribly hard to explain. I feel just as you do, I bleed, cry and love like any mortal. But I digress, we have spent much time here Fox and you have a choice to make along with your inner demons to face. I cannot guarantee that this chapter of your story will have a happy ending… but; if you're willing to try, its a better fate than giving up."

Fox's throat bobbed at her words as he swallowed in trepidation.

"Do you think Krystal is worth the effort?" inquired The Mother.

Slowly Fox nodded. "Yes, but, I am ashamed to admit. I'm scared."

"Do not feel shame, fear is natural; it is not easy to face yourself. For your greatest enemy is often one's own self. Just remember what your father always told you; Never give up, trust your instincts."

Fox gave a shallow nod. "So… how do I do this?"

"You'll figure it out quite quickly, I am sure."

"Wait what?"

The vixen abruptly vanished in thin air before him. No answers, nothing and once more sudden burst of frustration filled him. Once already he had been denied aid on Indosha, not even The Krazoa had helped him. His pulse raced and his heart thundered in his chest. What did a guy have to do to get some help!? He had fought all this life and now he was being strung along on some metaphysical bullshit? This entire mental adventure had felt very real! He broke bones, lost an eye! Almost lost a limb in the process! And now someone shows up, tells him to "Figure it out." and then just fucks off?

"Typical…"

As Fox finished his words the tod felt a savage pulsation that ran deep; in response he clutched either side as he groaned out in anguish and fell forward.

"N-not again!" He wept as the pain swept him away and consumed him, his vision faded. It wasn't long however as the lids of his eyes began to twitch, there was a deafening roar in his head almost like a case of tinnitus but without the ear piercing screech. He could hear raised voices but it was though they were under water. Red tinged along the edges of his vision, not from hatred or adrenaline but outright pain. His mind begged him to return to sleep as anguish overwhelmed him. But there was something stopping him, there was some grand thing he needed to do before returning to his slumber. Fox would not let the intense red hot searing torment in the core of his mind stop him.

Fox's eyes dragged open slowly only for light to fill them and make him wince; every thought, every motion was magnified ten times in his state. His body ached and his head felt as though it were going to be split in two like a ripe melon. Fox forced his eyes open and saw two vixens standing beside his bed shouting at each other in that strange muted sound. The two gestured animatedly at each other and clearly both were upset by the way their bodies moved and their snouts were upturned in a snarl.

If Fox had a word for how he felt in that moment, it was anemic, drained of all vim and vigor, exhausted and yet still he managing to shakily lift an arm and reach out to the younger of the two.

_She's the one… I need her… I need to tell her…. Krystal…._

The eldest of the two kept yelling as she was oblivious to the waking tod; but the younger vixen's ears perked and her demeanor changed almost in an instant as she turned around and her eyes widened like dish plates. To her credit, Krystal did not hesitate as she took Fox's weak paw in her steel like grip and squeezed with her all her might while her left paw cupped the side of his face. He couldn't hear her as his mind was busy trying to shut down and preserve itself as the weight of his condition worsened.

But those lips… he could read them, she was concerned; fearful and trying to encourage him to stay with her and not go.

 _Go? I'm not going anywhere… what does she mean?_ _No, No, focus! You have to focus! Get the words out before you fall asleep again! Tell her how you feel! That's why you're awake!_

The screaming thoughts did not help that excruciating headache in the slightest. But he had to try and with monumental effort his mind formed the words but his lips faltered.

_Say it you shit! This might be your only chance! Do it!_

With all the might he could muster even as his mind caved to the pressure Fox gripped Krystal's paw in return in a savage grip while nuzzling lovingly into the very same one on his cheek. The feel of her velvety touch was comforting with the look of care and worry in her eyes at least let him know she still did have some love left for him after all he had done.

Twice he tried to force it through and he could hear the elder vixen's voice thundering off to the side as she was doing… something to his mind. Minor relief filled his form but it was not enough, the pain was too great and was quashing anything the vixen tried. Yet in spite of all this he urged himself to speak.

For a scant few seconds the world became clear as he could hear, see, smell and taste. And his entire world was for the first time in almost two years focused on the gorgeous blue vixen he had wronged so long ago. There was nothing in the universe but her and his own self, the stars could have gone out and he would not have cared.

Sylvara's voice became dim and unclear as it faded away almost in entirety. There was something about him not supposed to be awake and they needed to put him back to sleep before some sort of event would happen to him. All that mattered though, was the beautiful angelic vixen before him. Even with their history and all their wrongs; she still had this effect on him. The awe, the bliss and warmth. The singular thing that mattered most; was she was there with warmth in those gorgeous sparkling eyes. Finally, with the strength he had left; Fox managed to coerce his snout to speak the words he so desperately wanted Krystal to hear.

"K-Krystal…."

"Shhh, Fox, don't strain yourself." Krystal cut in. "You need to rest, please don't-"

"Krystal…" He uttered again. "I may not get another chance, this pain; it's too much."

"I know, darling… I know, please, rest. Don't hurt yourself."

_Darling… she called me darling…_

It was such a simple word and to anyone else it would sound just like a normal endearment. But to Fox, it was the most powerful poultice that was applied to his mental and emotional wounds and assured him of his next actions. Three powerful words spoken in such a way that it would have world changing consequences for the pair of them.

He resisted her urging and finally with the greatest contradiction in his life, he spoke in a thunderous whisper. Full of confidence, ardor and every inch of the man everyone in his family knew him capable of being. Fox mustered every ounce of strength he had, every single fiber of his being into three words so Krystal could not only understand them, but feel them in her mind.

"Krystal… A celo 0ei."

Next, he thought them as loud as he could, as if his very thoughts would echo between their souls. It was a confident shout of what he had wanted to tell her for so long and had kept buried like a fearful kit.

_Krystal… A celo 0ei!_

Krystal could not believe her ears and thoughts, Fox was dying before her eyes and he was doing his damnedest to stay awake despite it all. That boundless resolve he was so well known for being focused not on war or battle, but on her! Those three words he had been so terrified of speaking in the past hit her like a runaway train on Macbeth and they reverberated in her ears and rooted itself within her mind and began to spread like a fertile garden in very soul.

He pronounced the trio of words in ancient Cerinian perfectly. Krystal didn't know how to respond as her bottom lip trembled and her grip instinctively tightened. The azure vixen felt her heart melt as every single fear and anxiety ridden moment for the past couple of years fell away and Fox spoke true and clear in her native tongue with such fervor. Her heart quaked and all guilt ceased to exist for in that moment all was right. Fox fought through hell and his own agony to tell her those words and there was only one way she could reply. Self doubt had nagged at her earlier; but seeing Fox battling through his condition just to talk to her obliterated it in one fell swoop. The fires of her rekindled heart aided her in this dark hour as she knew one absolute truth and her voice spoke it as Krystal lay her chest over his and pressed her forehead to Fox's. Gingerly their noses bumped together in the process as both sets of eyes gazed into the other. Krystal's warm aquamarine hues alight with the fires of renewed love and care as she pressed her mind to its absolute maximum and infused her words with every meaning. She knew it would hurt him due to the broken connection; but she would not let that last long. Krystal's mind and heart were made up as she spoke those three glorious words back to her mate. To the one man she knew she truly desired to be with.

"A celo 0ei, Fox. A celo 0ei."

Their bodies pressed so close together on the bed as their bodies trembled in such close proximity. The sensation of his heart racing against her own as the two fell into a harmonious rhythm. She couldn't explain it, Krystal didn't want to. To her, it felt like absolute perfection.

_This is how it was always meant to be._

Even as she saw Fox clench his jaws together from the pain of her psionic empowerment, there to was joy which was reflected in those eyes she loved so much. Those beautiful emerald hues glowed and burned brighter than ever before and Krystal desperately wished she could keep him awake, to hold him and tell him that he was forgiven and all would be well. But for her to succeed in the next step, he would need to sleep.

"Fox, I promise you, I'm not going anywhere, but you need to rest. I'll be here with you. I won't… I won't leave you behind again." Those last words had barely been choked out, a brief bout of shame at what she had done in the past only to be silenced as her love responded.

Her tod smiled faintly and she could see his eyes hazing over with the need to rest. Krystal gently urged him onto his back and caressed the side of his face with her paw while her head slowly turned to her mother who had finally finished shouting at the doctors over the intercom and came to their side. Both Cerinians united together to combine their psionic might and gently soothe Fox's troubled mind by siphoning off the pain like drawing venom from a wound. And Though it caused them discomfort; it likely saved his life and gave Fox the time he would need for Krystal to complete her treatment and the ritual that would come after.

_I'm here for you Fox, I came to get you. I hope you can forgive me for what I've done._

She watched as her tod gave a sleepy bob of his head and fell back into a comatose state, his emerald eyes had closed but not in finality. He would survive, for now.

With Fox sleeping fitfully, both vixens sighed simultaneously as the pain from Fox faded from their minds and the pair turned to look at each other. Before Sylvara could even speak, Krystal seized the moment.

"I want to fix what we broke. Seeing that… seeing him do that for me; all my doubts are gone. I know what needs to be done."

Sylvara's expression had gone from one of violent anger, to one of matronly pride at her daughters words. "It does my heart good to hear that Krystal. I am sorry for the things I said earlier. I know how much he hurt you, but…

"I know, I know, the treachery and what I did was well beyond acceptable. I know that now, but talking with him about it will be hard. I'll subject myself to your judgement later, but he needs to live first."

The matron bobbed her head in reply. "I will be fair Krystal, I promise. But on the former note; If that little display is indicative of anything, it might be easier than you think."

"You think so?" ,Krystal asked.

"I know so, I've had the pleasure of knowing a love like yours Krystal, your father was steadfast and determined to have me. He worked his ass off to woo me, more so than any other male. Fox, he reminds me of that, that passion and drive and even though he let it all fall by the wayside in his grief. It's been sitting there and stewing since you two fell out. The fact he fought through that psionic pain and his own mind buckling under the weight, it's astounding."

Krystal couldn't help but smile as she ran a paw gingerly across Fox's handsome snout and face. "That's Fox, he's always been that way so long as I've known him. He once flew with a broken arm despite all of us shouting at him to go back to the Great Fox."

Sylvara blinked, that was a memory she didn't know. "Yeah?"

"Mhm, we were protecting a civilian convoy from Star Wolf… Fox wouldn't let those people get robbed or harmed just because of a silly thing like that."

Sylvara could hear the shame in her daughters words, admitting that she had once fought those very same people and then joined them. Rather than exacerbate the situation she let it lie.

"Well, what's done is done Krystal. You said you made your choice and are ready to make amends?"

The younger of the two gingerly nodded her head. "I am. I've spent too long moping and being spiteful. It's time to do what I should have done all that time ago."

"Very well, I'll get everything ready and I'll support you through it. Just one thing, do not hesitate, no matter what you see or feel. Push through Krystal."

Krystal gave her mother a smile "I'll keep that in mind."

Up above in the observation room Mia had been watching the whole ordeal. Concerned for Krystal's well being as much as her safety. The red panda watched everything unfold before her eyes and then settled back into her seat with a deep sigh.

"Not out of the woods yet, but, I've got a good feeling." She whispered.

"As you should." The firefox jumped in surprise as her emerald eyes gazed about only to land on someone she didn't expect to see.

"Bryn?! The hells are you doing here… better yet, how?!"

The old badger burst into laughter and smiled wide "An old man has his ways, we'll leave it at that. I just came to look after Krystal and Fox is all."

Mia stared curiously at the old man clad in his long sleeved shirt and jeans. Once more she noted that strange otherworldly aura wafting off him just like before on the merc station. It was almost fatherly yet carried within it a fierce undertone of protection and violence.

"Who are you exactly Bryn?"

Bryn chuckled quietly and gazed to the little firefox. "Sharp eyed one aren't you? Your training did you a good service. As to answer your question, let's just say I'm close to the Cerinians and leave it that shall we?"

"The Cerinians?"

"Yes, as in, more than one or two." He smiled broadly.

"You mean, there's more?"

"I just said that didn't I? Not as many as I would have liked, but plenty enough to keep the species strong. And they've been lamenting the loss of their princess for some time."

"Princess?" The firefox's eyes turned towards the operating room down below and then back; only to find the old badger had vanished without a trace.

"What have I gotten myself into?" Mia shook her head and sighed, this wasn't part of her job description as a priestess. And though she likely wouldn't be allowed in the room below, there was someone else in need of guidance.

The red panda stood and dusted her clothing off and began to make way towards the guest quarters of the ship. As she exited a guard that had been escorting her turned his attention to her. Just like everyone else thus far he was clothed and masked. It was a strange thing to her. But she understood why.

"Guest Quarters please." She didn't know the way around the ship and they were guests onboard, so the only thing they could do is be led around.

A simple nod was her only response and the two began to make their way farther into the vessel. It took all of five minutes to arrive and outside each door were two guards at attention opposite, rifles held across their chests. Instead of going to her room, Mia stood in front of the door that went to Wolf's. Both guards turned their covered heads to her with curiosity and she heard them ready their rifles.

"I'm a priestess, and he's a troubled soul. Not looking to make a scene."

The two guards seemed to converse quietly beneath their helmets and received authorization from on high and Mia was permitted to enter without incident.

A hiss of hydraulics and the door slid up into the ceiling which allowed Mia to step through the portal. The great one eyed grey wolf sat next to a window that had a rather startling view out into vastness of space only for his mug to turn about and his ears perking up towards the red panda.

"Well, well, what're you doin' here little lady? Payin' the big bad wolf a visit?" He chortled.

Mia smiled in response, for his type humor was a way to hide nerves and discomfort. Wolf did not like control being taken away from him. And here, he was very much not in control.

"Yes actually, but I wanted to talk with you, not as a friend or deal with your flirts. You can save those for later."

Wolf snorted and turned his eye back towards the window. "The pup going to live?"

Mia smiled, concern for his old enemy was a signature that some changes had taken hold from the records she read. The task before her might not be as insurmountable as originally thought.

"I don't know. Whatever happened in there, Krystal seems to be intent on trying, and I've rarely seen a man endure so much for one woman. It's a sight to see for sure."

"Good, those two are good together."

"That they are. But, I'm not here to talk about them Wolf." The priestess uttered, making her way further in, finding a second chair she pulled it up across from wolf and sat her firm rump into it. Not in a relaxed languid manner, but someone who was visiting on a professional level.

"I'm here to talk with you."

"With me? What fer?"

Mia gave him that dubious look as she leaned back into her chair. "You know why."

Wolf rolled his one good eye at the priestess and fumed. "Oh C'mon, all because I hit you up back on that hunk of junk?"

Mia giggled at his sudden response and a smile full of mirth made her tail sway. "I mean, it was a good effort. It's not often I have a rugged notorious space pirate try to come and boldly sweep me off my feet. But, I'm not that easy Wolf."

Again the lupine snorted. "Nah, if you were, you'd be in pound town and on a return trip."

The red panda just grinned. "Is this your way of trying to chase me off, crude behavior and language? When all I want to do is help?"

The gruff pirate turned to look at Mia past his eye patch. "I don't -need- help Mia. I've never needed help. Not now, not ever."

"Oh come off it Wolf." She snapped. "Everyone needs help now and then, even big bad pilots like you. I see even right now, you long for something like Fox and Krystal have together; even when they're at their worst they have had each other. And now, when those two are so damn close to falling apart, fate comes to call and brings them together. But you? All you have is a rickety space station, Leon, and that disgusting creature of a man Panther locked up. When was the last time you dropped the outlaw facade and actually sat down with someone and talked, or even had a serious relationship. And by serious I mean not shove your dick down their gullet or whatever it is you do."

Wolf bared his teeth and lunged across the table attempting to grab Mia by her neck only to find himself sailing through the air as the priestess fluidly gripped his arm and flipped him over onto his back with an audible thud of flesh hitting metal. The lupine groaned as he rolled over and crouched, ready to spring again. "The hell just happened?"

"I was a bounty hunter once Wolf; and we are trained in martial arts on Indoshan. I am more than just a pretty face. Now, we can talk this out like normal adults, or do I need to spank the big bad wolf into submission?" she offered with a wry smirk.

Wolf at first thought about fighting, but staring at the red panda across from him made him chuckle her own crude joke struck a chord deep within his machismo mind. She was a fiesty one and the fact she got one over on him was more than enough to prove Mia wasn't to be trifled with. Wolf was impressed with Mia and gave her his nod of approval before he stood up and dusted himself off.

"Never had a woman who threw me around like that, usually it's the other way."

Mia was still in a defensive posture as Wolf walked by her and never took either of those vibrant eyes off the canine until he sat and sighed roughly.

"Never really had anyone want to listen to my bullshit either."

With Wolf comfortably in place, Mia sat down across from him as she put her appearance back into proper order.

"It's never too late talk Wolf."

The canine snorted, but it was one of dismissal, not derision. "You're serious about this, aren't you? What about Leon?"

Mia shook her head slowly. "Leon is comfortable in where he is and who he is. That much is obvious, you're the one that's troubled. It shows every time I look at you. You're emotionally exhausted and it's clear you want some change. But you don't know how to go about it without giving up your bad boy appearance."

"I'll have you know, this appearance took years to cultivate and the ladies love it!" he chided playfully.

"And the boys I'm sure." She said without missing a beat. "I mean, what with the leather and all."

"Okay, this is just weird. I'm not used to a holier than thou person rippin' on me."

Mia descended into giggles as Wolf looked at her with incredulity, the little panda letting her tail sway as rapturous laughter filled the air and the two began to ease around one another. "I'm a warrior priestess Wolf, I do have a sense of humor unlike the monks."

Wolf shifted uncomfortably, he wasn't a man to normally share his innermost thoughts. In the world he used to live in, emotions were a sign of weakness and could get you ousted from leadership or killed if you were seen as weak and ineffectual. But he hadn't lived in that world for a long time, maybe Mia was right. It was time for a change. "I see… well, where do you want to start?"

"Where do you feel most comfortable?" ,she replied.

The grey canine sat there twiddling his thumbs lightly as he wasn't quite sure where to begin, this was all new territory for him.

Mia smiled reassuringly to the lupine and waited patiently. "Take your time Wolf, we're in no hurry."


	9. Choices

From on high two brown eyes gazed into the operating theater below; Kelra Menshar, Steward of the Eastern Territories and third of her line watched the two Cerinians as they set about their attempt to heal Revenant. The elder she wolf held her arms under her bust in cross armed fashion as events proceeded. Her uniform was utility, a lone greatcoat that covered most of her body in black with boots and pants to match. There was no finery other than a single gold chain that held the crest of her house. A single faded grey blade with it's tip pointing downwards accented by a diminutive ruby in the hilt.

"To think; this entire time we had Fox McCloud right under our nose, Andross's killer." The older woman muttered.

"A hero for the ages; and now two Cerinians are going to try and save his life from the very wound one of them inflicted." Came the reply from her left. A middle aged feline shaman bedecked in flowing mottled grey robes.

"I just hope they understand what they will witness. For we gave him his name with good reason."

The shaman nodded quietly. "Indeed we did my Khan. Should I fetch the others? Perhaps it will boost their morale and the proximity may increase the girls chances of success."

Kelra tilted her head at the thought; the others did not know of the other vixen. They were however subordinate to Sylvara. It might do them both good given the stress of the situation to see others of their kin there.

"Do it Michael. Revenant is one of us, even if he is an honorary member. He still counts as being part of our clan."

"Of course my lady. It shall be done."

The middle aged vulpine departed with a bow low to the floor and set about his way. Those chocolate eyes turned back to the theater below.

I wish you all success. For you will need every inch of luck for the wounds that man carries within him. I only wish I could do more.

Krystal and Sylvara were hard at work making all the preparations, painkillers, sleep aids, everything they could get their paws on to help keep Fox subdued and stable in his condition.

"I still can't believe he woke up during all that… us fighting and the pain he must have been in."

"Was excruciating no doubt." ,Replied Sylvara "We're lucky he is made of sterner stuff than the average Lylatian.

"Ain't that the truth."

"Come again young lady?" ,Admonished the older vixen.

"Uh… oops, too much time around spacers and such. Isn't that the truth."

"Better."

Sylvara chuckled to herself as she settled in next to Fox. Her eyes full of concern and worry; she was confident in her child's ability and it would require her touch to fix the issue… but there were other steps involved. Fox's own demons on top of Krystal's presence could send the whole thing astray. It was going to be a monumental effort; but Sylvara was sure it could be done.

Their love is so strong but it's burdened by grief, guilt and anger. I'm just worried how she's going to react to some of the things from his memories.

For several silent minutes the pair continued to work until every item was in place only for Krystal's ears to prick up and the hackles on the back of her neck stood on end. The azure vixen turned her head upwards and her eyes shot wide at what greeted her.

All around the edges of the glass were other Cerinians. Foxes in various colors of blues, purples, whites in and robes from the old homeworld that denoted their station. Nobles, Soldiers, Merchants and those from what many would call the lower class. Males and females alike stood side by side with irises of differing colors all locked on her. Each vulpine carried with them their battle weapon. Staves, Axes, Swords all sheathed or stashed on their person. Krystal's heart raced with a mixture of pure elation and apprehension as she had long since accepted that she was the last of her kind. However, that was dashed to pieces with the presence of her mother and now a whole host of other Cerinians watching the events unfold.

"Mother… how many of us survived?"

"More than enough to keep our people strong Krystal, we were absorbed into the Vegaran Khanate and given shelter much to the Syndicate and Empires chagrin," came Sylvara's reply.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Between the shouting match and Fox nearly killing himself with that stunt? Not a whole lot of time between events."

"I… well... you… Okay fine, dammit, you got me there," Krystal fumed but it was the case that her mother had the situation firmly in her palm.

"I'm just really happy to see so many of us alive, even if I know my future among them is uncertain."

Syara gave her child a reassuring smile. "Have faith."

Krystal replied with her own warm smile; though partially faked as her nerves were well beyond shaken."One more thing before we start Mother… what happened after you helped Fox and forged that bond with him?"

The matron shook her head with warmth. "You'll see for yourself, but be careful. Fox is a broken man and with his mind as far gone as it is; who knows what memories will bleed over where. Things might not make sense or be shown out of order."

"I just hope he remembers me…" spoke the solemn vixen.

"Don't. Don't do that to yourself; I can hear that guilt in your tone. You've made mistakes but we're here now. This is your chance to make right. Once that mental bond is repaired or removed entirely and we restore the sections of his mind; he might lose some memories along the way, but he should still be in good working order. Think of it this way, if he doesn't. You get a whole blank slate to work with from the start."

"Mother!" Krystal gawked.

"What?! I'm trying to give you a silver lining here! Fox is in a bad way and gods know I want grandkids at some point!"

The younger of the two blushed furiously at the mere mention of children and shook her head. "I swear, I'm going to beat you bloody."

"You've tried in the past my daughter, you have yet to beat me in combat." Sylvara spoke with a mirthful smile upon her snout. "Now, enough of this back and forth. It's time."

Krystal took a slow calming breath before her eyes closed and dove right into Fox's mind. The vixen made a straight line towards the connection she had long since left behind. His mind was a cascading sea of crimson, like the color of freshly spilled blood. It was foreboding and chilling to say the least to see how far Fox's mind had degraded. The first order of business was to find Fox himself and that meant she had to pull his collective consciousness into one place and put him back together…

This is going suck harder than Falco's tacos.

Normally how this would work; is she would just reconnect to Fox within his mind and the rest would take care of itself; but with how far gone Fox was; more work was required. She was going to have to literally pull every fragment of his memory and personality into one place and coalesce it… there was no room for error. She could inadvertently break him more so than he already was; outright kill him, or turn him into a vegetable and he may very well come out a different person entirely if she wasn't cautious.

Regardless of these facts, Krystal knew she had to try.

Physically manifesting oneself was a requirement for jobs such as these. More so because it was a far more intimate touch than normal. Her neon sea-green figure appeared in the deepest reaches of Fox's mind and made Krystal at how Fox's consciousness perceived her. Loincloth, bronze bralette, her wrist and shoulder guards and even her sandals were back; staff included.

_Well, he at least remembers that. Alright, let's do this._

The cobalt vixen felt her nerves on edge; she had to do this right and make sure she brought her Fox home. This was it, it was all on her at the final leg of her journey. The pressure was on but with a singular soothing breath, Krystal centered herself and went to work.

_Game time._

Krystal centered her thoughts as her legs crossed and body began to gently levitate only to launch into it with all her might. It started with the harshest memory she could find, one she had experienced up front and personal all the way back on Indoshan. However, it went further in depth and finer detail. The Arwing had just crashed and Fox pulled himself free of the burning wreck, his regrets and sorrow were the highest it had ever been and the sheer force of It slammed into her mind like a solid brick as she experienced Fox's emotions completely unfiltered. Combined with his physical ailments; it was a pain that threatened to rip her very being apart if she did not control herself. The sheer sense of utter despair that hit her from the moment Fox felt her presence fade was agonizing. It was when she and the others of Star Wolf had flown off with the device in tow.

He felt me, even from that distance he sensed my presence… He knew what I had done.

Fox's mind pushed her along as it raced into the next series of images. The stink of a hospital clean room, chemicals, disinfectants; the sound of a doctor and his nurse conversing in panicked voices.

**Beep… beep… beep…**

And then a heart stopping noise as the keening whine of a code blue… flat line.

_Wait, what?! No! The medical report never spoke of death!_

The world around her went dark as night, only to become as blinding as the clear sunny days on Fichina when one was greeted with a snowblind. The world around her rumbled and cracked as she heard the most heart stopping scream of pure rage and utter contempt no soul had any business holding within themselves. The world around her turned into a hellish landscape as Fox's voice became a yell of unbridled hatred and formulated reality around him to reflect as such. Molten rock bubbled forth from the earth, tumultuous storms and roaring winds filled the dark red skies as wild bolts of lightning arched across them.

_By the gods! This is what I did?!_

Krystal had no idea just how far her actions carried. The reach her actions had finally hit home. By her own doing she had caused the death of one of the greatest pilots and souls who ever lived! Krystal found herself bearing witness to his decades long rage as the tod screamed into the volcanic hell about her and realized that this was what had been lurking in the heart of Fox McCloud for most of his life.

"Nurses! Get back in here!" The memory suddenly shifted and once more Krystal found herself in the clean room.

Krystal lay her head in both palms and clutched tightly from the sensation of unending shame and the ache of her heart that threatened to wrend her heart to tatters. Not from the previously mentioned emotions; but the fact her revenge was total and complete. She destroyed his image; took from him all he had built, his entire team fell apart and Star Wolf replaced them. Fox took from her a home and made her feel like a ward… but she took his life. No matter how bad it seemed what Fox did to her, she could not; and would not be able to compare her pain to the sheer fact that he had died because of her.

Her entire body shook violently and began to hyperventilate at what she just witnessed and felt from her wayward lover. Tears leapt to her eyes and ran down along the slender edge of her snout, each drop falling onto her chest as she felt crushing despair that would drive any normal soul to end their life.

_It's all my fault! I killed him! I could have taken him back at any time and everything would have been alright! I pushed him and turned my back entirely on him! What the fuck was wrong with me?!_

"An excellent question."

The vixen was torn from her emotional wreck of a moment and looked up only to spy Fox himself sitting across from her on a rock. What followed was a wild sense of deja vu that hit like a freight train.

"Oh no, not this again. Get out of here, I have no time for your bullshit."

The vixen clamped down as her resolve steeled and bore her fangs at the apparition. "You will not drive me mad again like before!"

The red glowing vulpine tilted his head with manic curiosity while wearing his old uniform from the days before Sauria, looking more like a free flying pilot than an adventurer or soldier. "Before you say? I've not the faintest idea what you mean Krystal; this is the first time we've ever actually met," replied the crimson fox. Teeth on display in a show of crazed glee.

Krystal felt herself twitch slightly at that remark. "Back on Indoshan, you were there and then you turned into some facsimile of myself and called yourself Kursed!"

Deep thunderous laughter echoed all around her as the tod across from her began to cackle madly.

"Oh dear me, oh my. It seems the telepath is losing her mind. What a delicious irony! That you would start seeing visions of me! When this whole time I saw images of you looking at me so full of spite and disgust. Ready to tear out my throat at a moments notice."

Her mind focused and she felt Kursed rouse from her long slumber as the gatekeeper of her mental fortress. Something was wrong here, very wrong.

"I love this, you come all this way and I wake up to tell you I love you. Then, you come rushing in here to the rescue… For what reason? Some ill conceived notion I want to still be with you? After everything you did to me?" Fox spat those last words out with intense vitriol. "Killed me, shamed the entire team and got Wolf who sympathized with Andross and his team made heroes. On Top of that, you tried to justify Andross's actions to my face! The man who killed both of my parents, destroyed your world and committed wholesale genocide! If that's what I need to do to earn your forgiveness, whoo boy! Take a look at this!"

Each accusation was a slap to her face as every single one rang true but her attention was drawn in as the red vulpine reached out to her and a powerful psionic grasp pulled her in. Krystal's eyes went wide at was presented to her.

It was Fox, butchering and slaughtering his way through a myriad of scenes with guns, knives, claws and even teeth! He didn't care! The tod was a total monster as he tore his foes asunder and all she could feel was unceasing rage in his heart. The worst of it is she could feel him relish every kill as it slaked his blood lust. That very same thirst threatened to consume him.

"See?! This is what you created! You weren't ready for this!" The red vulpine shouted in rapturous pleasure.

From the fields of Onaor IV, to the streets of Svestruga and more than a few space battles. None were spared his wrath…

_Wait a minute!_

Krystal hit the proverbial breaks and stopped the rage fest in its tracks and reasserted control as the dominant power within Fox's mind. It was as though she hit a mental rewind and reviewed each scene over and over.

_They're all military… or criminals!_

The vixen's observation was quite astute; for every person killed before him wore some type of uniform, gang sign or indicator of their allegiance. Pirates, thieves, murderers, slavers, Imperial soldiers, rebels. Not a single innocent got caught in his onslaught, or none that she saw anyways.

Krystal ripped her head free of the strange trance and glared daggers at "Fox". "You, I know what you are now. I'm onto you!"

"Fox" cackled madly. "Oh do you now, please explain."

"The mockery you make of my mission, the distaste and glee you take in seeing my reactions to Fox's behavior? You're an amalgamation, a mental projection of all his negative emotions made manifest just as I am taking shape here. I had no idea his mind was so far gone. That his emotions could take on a will of their own… he's just as bad as I was back on Indoshan."

"Hey! Don't talk about me like I'm not here!"

Krystal turned those fierce aquamarine eyes towards the doppelganger and glared at him with murder. She would not let this sprite halt her progress and with a gentle gesture of her palm Krystal spoke a deafening phrase as all her psionic might was levied behind it. She had no time for games or rambling monologues. Time was not on her side and she would not let anything stop her from saving Fox.

"Silence."

A rush of wind flew past her and in a distorted screech the false tod vanished before her very eyes and disappeared into the fabric of Fox's mind. Krystal's teeth were bared in growing frustration. The fact she encountered something like that was alarming. With Fox's mind so far afield she would need to proceed with caution. Krystal put her guard up and continued her journey until she came to the moment where Fox and her Mother met. The azure vixen watched the tods reaction to Sylvara, thinking it her and then the sudden onset of pain and agony.

Krystal felt every bit of it, the self destructive thoughts; his overwhelming guilt. It was a far cry from the monster he had previously been.

_But what brought that change about? He went from a killing machine to… this? I need to know more._

"Perhaps I can be of assistance."

Krystal leapt up and over as she performed a front roll on her paws and brought her staff to bare towards the source of the voice. Once more she stared at Fox, or rather a different version of him. This one was haggard, tired and covered in scars. Though it was his clothing that furthered her shock. He was blue! Not as in downtrodden, but his aura was a sage like azure that radiated wisdom. Yet his apparel was far from the hotshot pilot of before but an outfit more in tune of a Cerinian. His chest was covered in a wrap over coat that latched into place at the upper left corner, his pants looked fit for a wandering swordsman that extended all the way down to his boots that were cuffed at the top. All the while a sword hung off his hip within its scabbard.

"And which one are you?" Krystal threatened with her staff gripped tightly.

"I believe you would call me Wisdom, and I think waving a staff in someones face who has offered you assistance is hardly polite."

_He's not talking like Fox at all, what's going on here._

"You do realize you're in our head right? I can hear those thoughts."

Krystal flinched and nodded. "Apologies. There's just so much going on here and I'm trying to get everything back in order before I undo what was done." She spoke and pulled the staff back, leaving it extended and placing the end of it on the ground with the azure gem in the tip facing skyward.

"Which is why I came here as fast as I could after you dispatched that creten. Thank you by the way; these old bones aren't what they used to be and he's much faster than I am."

Krystal couldn't help but smile slightly at the comment. "You don't look a day over twenty."

The blue version of Fox smiled at the corners of his lips. "And you're just as gorgeous as I remember. Regardless, if you wish to know why we went from this murderous killer you see here… then you need only to ask one simple question. Are you willing to talk?"

Krystal flushed from the outright and open compliment to her appearance while that thick fluff of a tail swayed in curiosity at the singular question. "I'm not quite sure how this is going to help me get this back in order, I haven't even begun to-"

A single paw went up as he politely interrupted her. "Apologies Krystal, but your mere presence has put things in motion. That bastard from before as you so rightly called out was the assemblage of all that was wrong in my mind and heart. I am not all that is positive and right, but perhaps best understood as the collective knowledge and wisdom that I have gained over the years. There is no grand test or trial here, there is merely conversation. The one thing you denied both of us during the war, the key that could have saved us all this pain and suffering. You closed your ears, and now that you see the repercussions which has finally opened your ears and eyes to the truth of not only the damage you inflicted, but the damage he did to you and most of all himself."

Krystal was perplexed to say the least of the situation. "You speak as if you are him and then you are separate."

The blue tod's shoulders rolled with a hearty laugh only to level a warm smile at Krystal. "It is a strange existence, to be Fox and yet not Fox. Parts of a whole, should you succeed I hope all will be well. For I have missed your presence greatly and there is one more part of me that I am. Honesty. Krystal, let me speak the words that I was too scared to say all the way back in Lylat. If you would hear them."

Even in this mental minefield, Krystal watched as the incarnation of Fox was scared, terrified of rejection and that he would not get the chance to make right. Krystal spoke in a demure but compassionate voice. "I would hear them."

The blue vulpines eyes lit up brightly, those emerald hues sparking through the aura as a single tear ran down his cheek. "Thank you, Krystal. I was wrong; I pushed you away because I feared losing you and lost sight of why I loved you; that strength, the determination. Your peerless will to survive and do what was right. You complimented my failings and I in turn yours. We were good together, but because I let my heart rule instead of working in tandem with my mind. I destroyed what we had and could not commit. I hope when this is all over we can truly converse and move past it."

The vixen's nose twitched as she narrowed her eyes. "You did not say you were sorry though."

Fox tilted his head in curiosity. "Why would I apologize for wanting to see you live? I fully admit I was bull headed and stupid; but is there a reason why I should apologize for wanting to see you safe and sound; the woman who I love more than anything in this universe?"

"Because you kicked me out of my own home!" She snapped. "You threw me aside out of that cowardice."

The vulpine known as Wisdom nodded in understanding. "I know, but I cannot apologize for that; I can only offer words and affirmation that I see what was done. I am not Fox yet am Fox, it would not be right for me to apologize as only one fraction of his psyche. If and when you are successful, I have no doubt that conversation will come up. But until then, I cannot offer an apology. That has to be a summation of all his emotions and will."

Krystal growled at Wisdom. "So what, you can only offer me platitudes?!"

"I offer only honesty and wisdom from the depths of his… mine… our mind; Krystal. If you need any other evidence to how Fox feels or just how desperate things are… You need only look around you. I stand at death's door just as the rest of us do. I am merely here to offer you a way forward that you can save the one that you love. Fox still believes what he did was right, but that doesn't mean he took joy or did not suffer for that decision he made for you. Dying on that operating table should be more than enough to cement that fact."

What Wisdom said was true, though she didn't necessarily agree with it. It felt like a two faced answer and it was in many respects. However, he did make a good point. You can still make the right choice and suffer for it. Fox felt he was right, even though it was clearly wrong and that sense of right was what damned them both to this hell. She would need to break that if she was going get through to him.

"Both of you are wrong." She stated calmly. "It was not right; no matter how good your intentions were towards me, you took from me everything I loved. My only home and the man I would have taken as my mate. You kicked me out because I was a burden, not your lover. By all rights I am well within reason to sever any and all ties; and I would… for not the fact all of this happened because you loved me in such a way that you would sacrifice all that we were just for my well being. That is not something I should have gave up so easily, my mother is right on that. Nor do I want you dead; I never wanted that. Even I have to admit I took things too far."

"Then we are agreed to disagree, I wish I could do more for you Krystal, I truly do. But that requires this mind to be mended before that process can begin."

"Agreed. Anyways, you said you could offer assistance? How?"

The blue Fox bobbed his head. "I am Fox's logic and collective knowledge, as such, I am probably the most "stable" part of his mind you will ever encounter. Thus; I can act as your anchor to draw in the rest of his conscious and subconscious. Think of it as a computer; I can act as the root directory giving you unparalleled access to his mind."

"Sheesh, even when you're all busted up, that mind of yours is still full of good ideas."

"Other than flying by the seat of my pants most of the time, how do you think I'm still alive?"

Krystal shook her head. "I am still getting used to the switching from Me and then referring to Fox as someone else."

"Apologies, I will try to refer to myself as Fox from here on out."

"Please do, it'll weird me out less. So, how do I… well, "Access" You?" Krystal scrunched her snout. "That sounded far better in my head."

"Simple, take my paw."

The aquamarine vixen reached out with her own fingers and tentatively gripped Fox's paw in her own. A sudden rush of energy lanced up her arm and into the very center of her mind. A storm of wild rampaging emotions; thousands of discordant voices flooded her mind in an instant only for her mind to zero back in as Fox grounded her back into place with his own potent source of power keeping her rooted.

"H-holy shit! Give a girl some warning next time would you!?"

The blue tod flinched quietly "Sorry, I didn't mean for that to happen. The connection is a lot more open and powerful than I remember it. It's been so long… and… and…"

"Fox?"

"Sorry, just marveling at how amazing this feels; how could I have been so stupid…"

Krystal could feel the feedback of growing despair from his mind and in an effort to calm him she embraced him in a firm hug. "Don't go sideways on me now, I need you so I can work my magic."

Fox shivered at the embrace and visibly calmed as his arms came about her and held onto that vixen with all his might. "Of course, there's just so much I want to say and do, but now's not the time."

"Yes. Now, hold still."

It was amazing how Krystal felt in that moment; every bit of control she had, she could feel, see and hear everything in Fox's mind alongside her own. Never had she such unparalleled control and were she still her vindictive self; she could have utterly destroyed Fox in that moment. The mere presence of that thought made Krystal shiver in revulsion at herself.

"Everything alright?"

"Yes, yes, just some rather nasty thoughts I'd rather not have…"

Fox gave a nod to the blue vixen. "Alright, shall we get started?"

"Lets."

x-x-x-x

Wolf O'Donnell pulled on a cigarette between his lips the rich acrid smoke hit his lungs and soothed his nerves as the nicotine did it's job. Several spent ends lay at rest in a tray as the lupine had let his head lay on his palm. The grey wolf was run ragged by all the things he had vented and poured out in an uncharacteristic fashion; all the while Mia had sat there and listened to him every step of the way. The little red panda never once offered criticisms, merely questions to better help feel things out and aid him in moving forward.

_I_ admit, _I do feel better… better than I have in a long time._

They had talked about damn near everything; his formative years, love life or lack thereof in recent times. Why he did what did; and of course the biggest stain on his life which was working for that genocidal lunatic Andross. That had been the hardest thing to talk about as Wolf could not play off like he didn't know what Andross was up to; he knew damn full well what the ape had been doing for the longest time and never once raised a finger to stop it. The promise of defeating Fox and the dollar signs had blinded him when he was younger. Ideology and repercussions never even factored into the contract. Wolf still had nightmares about those days when he talked with Andross face to face as the madman conducted one of his experiments. The grey wolf shivered in disgust at the memories.

Now he sat in a glorified holding cell aboard an alien vessel while pouring out his heart to a woman he barely knew as his oldest enemy and his woman were up in the med bay doing who knows what to keep him alive. Wolf had no idea how she did it, but Mia managed to coax out every trifling secret from the deepest darkest corners of his existence.

"That's about it though, I don't have much else to tell Mia."

Mia just as she was before was all smiles and it made Wolf's heart throb in a way he wasn't familiar with. His chest felt warm and expansive, as if someone had turned the heat up in the room by several degrees. It was a marvel to him; to see someone like her actually care and listen. No one else in his life had really bothered with that.

"Are you certain?"

"Yea, you got everything, ain't much else to tell about me."

Mia's head bobbed in understanding; Wolf looked better than he did before as offloading his mind seemed to ease the tension in his shoulders and his appearance seemed far less threatening. But, he was at the crucial juncture of dealing with his guilt over the ghosts of his past. Wolf would need time to think and reflect and doing so was often better by yourself so as to not have influence or distractions.

"I can't say absolution is on the table, but given that you've come this far. Now's the part where you have to decide. What does the future hold for Wolf O'Donnell? Who do you want to be?"

The lupine blinked his one good eye up at the red panda. "What, not gonna coax anything more through me or tell me how to do this?"

Those bright green hues closed as her head swayed back and forth. "That's not my place, nor can I make the choice for you Wolf. You have to decide. If you choose to give up fighting for your own gain and pursue something more meaningful…" Mianikai's voice trailed off as she stood and made her way around the table towards Wolf.

Wolf watched as the curvy woman walked over towards him with a sway in her step and the world seemed to fall into slow motion. The canine felt his heart hammer away within the depths of his chest as he swallowed a mouthful of saliva. His paws felt cold and clammy as the angelic little red panda made her way over until both her soft paws cupped on either side of the canines face. Her soft fragrant scent rushed into his nose, reminding him of flowers as Mia leaned in close until Wolf could feel her breath wash pleasantly across his face. The dark pad of their noses pressed firmly together with soft pouty kissable lips a scant centimeter away from his own.

"You know where to find me." She purred to him in such a sinful manner that Wolf swore he heard angels crying in the distance.

Without a word, Mia departed the room and while Wolf hated to see her go, he loved watching that bouncy rear sway side to side. The lupine shook his head as he rested a palm on his table.

The hells was that all about? I barely know the woman and she's talking like that? Well… I might not know her, but she sure as hell knows me now. Which means she sees something there, right?

Wolf had to do a quick double take, this was the first time he had self doubts involving a female. Usually it was just throw em against the wall, assert dominance and go at it. It was the lupine way. At least that's how he was taught as a child. Wolf felt his thick bushy tail twitch as a certain part of his anatomy was trying to think for him and he resoundingly silenced it. Wolf was actually confused and unsure of how to proceed.

The hell am I gonna do with that woman.

**x-x-** x-x

_This is too much!_

Distress flooded Krystal's mind as she experienced Fox in almost every conceivable way except the physical. His mind was a shattered place with memories and emotions bouncing from one extreme to the other, and with how things were going; it was only going to get worse before it got better. Krystal expected this to be far simpler given how she handled her own monsters back on Indosha… This? She had no idea how extensive the damage went.

Fox's mind was a veritable hellscape of emotions, conflicting ideas and degenerating mental faculties. All of which were being pulled towards herself and Fox's manifestation of his logical mind. She could hear conversations from the past with ease, ranging from all the way back to the first Lylat War and their argument just months before the Anglar Blitz. Her teeth were clenched together tightly as her mind was strained to the limit in an attempt to control the information and emotional feedback all at once.

"Krystal! Hold it together! We're almost done! Just a little bit more!"

It was like she was forming a ball out of all the animosity, love, disgust, depression, joy and so many other sensations along with his memories that she could barely keep track of. Krystal watched in flickers of information as her mother and Fox fought side by side through numerous battles, protecting each other and shielding one another from foes.

_That should have been me! It was supposed to be us! She thought bitterly as jealousy reared its head at how her mother knew her mate better than anyone else._

Enemies fell before the duo as they fought in tandem through ice, snow, meadows, space stations and city blocks One memory in particular slowed down to a crawl just enough to for her to witness the birth of a legend and a terror. The one these systems knew by a different name.

A white furred she wolf towered over Fox and her mother, fierce chocolate eyes gazed upon the two vulpine as the woman descended from her command chair and came to stand before them. Her voice was affluent and rife with the years of experience command brought her. It was clear from her posture that she had thought long and hard on her next words.

"Mr. Reynard and Sylvara, you have served the Khanate well as mercenaries. Through your actions many of our peoples lives were saved from bondage or far worse fates. I have little in the way of reward to offer you beyond coin or weapons. However; In my personal taste; such heroics are worthy of greater things. I know neither of you wishes to be bound to any one faction given your desire for freedom and wandering natures. Thus, I offer you joining us as Blood Kin. With this, you will be members of my clan, you will have station, a place to rest your head and will be free to come and go as you please from our domain. I do not offer this title lightly; please consider before you decide."

She watched as Fox and Sylvara both looked to one another as the pair conversed through their telepathic bond with ease.

_What do you think Sylv? A place to rest without having to worry about the Imperials or Syndicate kicking our door in._

_I_ admit, _it's a good offer and one I don't think we should pass up. I have a good feeling about her, she is honorable and just._

_If you support it Sylv, I'm with you._

The elder vixen gave the young tod a gentle nod of her head as Fox turned back to the canine.

"We accept."

This pleased the female wolf greatly as she smiled in welcome to both of them. "Then welcome home Blood Kin. I will have your quarters arranged and there will be a feast in your honor. But first, your name that will be spoken amongst your kin and your foes."

Fox blinked "A name? I already have one."

"I doubt you wish to give us your real name for personal reasons; and we will not fault you for that. For you Mr. Reynard… My shamans have told me of your tale after they conversed with those from the land of the dead. He who has risen out of rage and regret from the lands betwixt. Hunting the wicked and guilty with fervor never seen before. I believe a fitting name for you would be that of Revenant. A vengeful spirit risen once more to deliver justice unto those who would harm the innocent."

The memory faded from view only to be replaced with one that judging from the conversation happened on the same day.

"Well, this is certainly something." Fox uttered quietly.

"Agreed, never expected the Khanate to give us a home. That being said, I guess this day is full of surprises… and there's one more coming."

Fox gazed at Sylvara with skepticism. "Look uh… you're great and all…"

Sylvara tilted her head in Fox's direction with confusion until she sensed how leery he was. The vixen couldn't help but burst into laughter that Fox's mind even went there. Not that she wasn't flattered, even at her age her body was still in great condition. "Oh, no, no, I could never do that. As handsome as you are, Krystal has her mark on you Fox, whether she ever comes to take it back…"

Sylvara immediately regretted even bringing the subject up; knowing how quickly it could turn Fox from a brash and hot blooded warrior and turn him into a dour sack of self-defeat.

"Ah hells… I'm sorry Fox, I didn't mean to bring that up, but here. I have something for you, I took it back from the those Vostroyka Goons when we first met."

The tod turned his head up as she produced a fine scabbard etched in Cerinian runes and iconography. The very same one she had seen him sharpening before this whole mess began.

"A Cerinian Weapon?" He asked with tilted head and perked ears.

"Yes, not just any weapon though… my husbands blade before he lost his life fighting against Andross's forces."

Shock ran through Fox and Krystal simultaneously as she watched on.

"W-what? I couldn't, that's a family heirloom! It should go to Krystal if you ever see her again."

Sylvara shook her head. "She already has a weapon bonded to her; and I have no sons. I know what kind of man you are and though you've done great and terrible things out there; you've lost as much as I have and you still cling to that all encompassing sense of justice. My husband would support me in this decision, I can feel it in my soul. All that I ask is that if you ever run into Krystal again, please; forgive her for what she's done. You don't have to reconcile, just forgive her."

Fox contemplated the request as his eyes took in the blade and then back to Sylvara. "What do the runes say?"

"This blade is called Sohau'j mohs0… in your language, Ceria's Mercy."

Krystal couldn't believe her eyes, her fathers warblade! That was what Fox was carrying all this time?! Sylvara trusted her with not only a family relic, but a sacred weapon… That had never happened in the history of Cerinia and what Fox carried with him was an immense honor and privilege.

_That mother would trust him with that sword, she has more faith in him than I ever did…_

"I can't promise anything Sylvara, but; I will try."

That was good enough for her mother it seemed as she nodded her head. "Thank you Fox, that's all I can ask for."

Krystal's vision cleared for all of a second until the maelstrom of Fox's wayward mind rushed back in and then abruptly went calm; as though she had entered the eye of a storm. The vixen felt beyond exhausted and was near the very limit of her power, yet for all her struggles the sense of Fox's torment had begun to abate. All about her Fox's mind soothed from that rampaging red and into a calm neutral grey tone of peace. In her palm was everything Fox was. His greatest fears and worries, joys and sorrows. His greatest truths and secrets were all collected in one point. Darkness gently crept up once more as the thought of how easily she could extinguish Fox and all that he was came forward. It screamed at her, demanded her to take her pound of flesh out on the man who had hurt her so much. All she had to do was squeeze and then Fox McCloud would be no more. She felt that desire, the thirst for revenge resurface in a way she had not felt since this journey began..

_Why shouldn't I? After_ all _he did, everything I endured for him and during that damned war? Why not? He deserves all of this!_

Krystal blinked as she sat upright and shook her head with a snarl of disgust at herself. That was not the Cerinian way. That certainly was not her, not anymore. There had been too much pain and suffering over all this. Both of them had inflicted such powerful wounds upon each other and to even contemplate what crossed her mind was beyond abhorrent. Krystal understood that they were two parts of a greater whole. To heal that rift would require them both to move forward as one. Extinguishing his life and mind would mean she had given up; given into darkness and accepted her life as Kursed and forsaken her people.

_No… I didn't come here for that, I didn't come all this way and push myself to the near brink of insanity twice over to kill him. That life is behind me; I remember when everything was_ perfect, _when we were happy and in love; even if it was rocky. It was genuine and real, I want that back, I want to smile and laugh. I want to feel his paws on me and hold me tight like he used to. I want to hold Fox in my arms with nothing but love in our hearts._

The center of Krystal's heart and mind swelled with what little power remained and approached the still quivering vein of their severed connection, only to throw the ball of Fox's collective consciousness up into the air and have it disperse in a fantastic swath of powerful mental energy as it washed over everything. Krystal turned her eye back to what was broken and knelt beside it, only to touch it with her palm and slowly smooth it over bit by bit as it healed from root to the very tip. Her paws glowed with her aura and repeated the motion as though she were applying a balm until every single painful element was removed and sewn anew. When she was done, it shown a brilliant healthy color of blue and green mixed in tandem, her signature and Fox's intertwined in an intimate dance. It was now or never. Krystal crossed her fingers and prayed that Ceria was indeed merciful as the old priests claimed.

With all the fear of a child during a thunderstorm, Krystal reached out and quietly whispered within the confines of his mind. _Fox, can you hear me?_

Silence was her answer, calm and quiet. The manifestation of Fox had long since vanished as he no doubt returned where it was supposed to be.

_Fox, please, answer me._

For several long minutes Krystal began to fret that maybe she had been too late; that she had taken too long. Only for the most joyous of sounds to fill her ears.

_Gah, Krystal, is that really you?_

The loudest most girlish squeal of relief and joy filled the connection between their minds as she withdrew from the inner workings but still kept them connected directly.

_Yes, it's me, I'm here. Oh_ gods _, you have no idea how glad I am to hear your voice. I thought I was too late._

Fox's thought patterns were filled with mirth and warmth and no small amount of comfort.

_I know you caused it, but I don't care. I'm just glad you're here. If you hadn't shown up, I dunno how much longer I could have carried on as I was. The visions were getting worse every day._

Krystal flinched as she knew that her presence had sent Fox into that spiral. But things were better now, he was talking to her, no more false names; no more concealment. It was just the pair of them open with each other. Regardless, I am sorry for putting you through that; but we can talk more when you wake up. You must be as exhausted as I am, so 'm going to close off the connection for now, but when you wake up, I want to talk. About everything, what I did, what the future might hold… that is, if you want to.

There was a long pregnant pause that made Krystal nervous; fearful that Fox would not want to after everything he had been through over the last two years of his life. A pit of fear in her stomach had begun to form that perhaps Fox did not want to reconcile; that maybe her mother was wrong after all.

_Fox?_ She practically whispered into his mind.

_I'd... I'd like that._ Came his reply. Within it she could feel a joyful sadness. It was like when a bad dream came to an end and they found it to be just that.

The relief that bathed Krystal's entire mind did a world to ease her burden.

_Rest well darling, I promise I won't be far. There_ maybe _some unpleasant business I have to tend to, but I will try to be there when you wake up._

Without another word Krystal gingerly closed off their bond so as to ease Fox back into a state of slumber. He would need time to recover as both of them were pushed well beyond mortal bounds and it was showing as Krystal emerged into the physical realm. Her eyes drifted tiredly over to her mother and with a gleeful drained smile; uttered three words before her head fell flat on Fox's chest.

"I did it." She whispered; only to promptly fall asleep with the calm beating of her loves heart serving to soothe her nerves and fears.


	10. Cycles

Ceria, guardian of Cerinia, goddess of Justice, Mercy, and Fertility wandered the halls of The Sword of Menshar. She watched in curiosity as the mortals went about their routines and took no notice of the white furred vixen garbed in a flowing white silk robe. Her foot paws touched cold metal but she felt no chill, only the gentle hum and warming energy of those within. The vixen couldn't help but smile at how tightly knit the ship's crew was. It was very much a homey feeling with the ships personnel treating one another as part of a family rather than just military. Her destination was the medical bay and while she could have instantly ported herself there; Ceria needed time to think.

Two lives were the crucial hinge of her plan, Fox and Krystal. A burned out hero who lost faith in the woman he loved because he feared of losing the most precious thing in the galaxy; and his mate. A warrior descended of royal blood who lost control of their will and emotions as those bottled up anxieties crashed into her all at once like a supernova. It truly had been a perfect storm for those two. Yet for all their failures, Ceria could not but help admire their tenacity to move forward. Even as they fought and bled through conflicts; their thoughts always circled back to each other.

A thin little smile crossed Cerias face as her own joyful memories of her wayward lover crossed her mind. The woman having not seen or heard of him since the fall of their home. The ripping pain of losing so many of her children coupled with her mate vanishing had left a gaping hole in her chest the likes of which no mortal could ever understand. She did not want that for Fox and Krystal, they more than most were favored by her for their ability to endure and dedication to all that was good. Even if both of them had lost their way in recent time. Ceria would do everything in her power to see what they had restored. She could not force them to love each other again, but with recent events the path to reconciliation was already being walked.

Ceria's palm came to rest on a door pad that would lead into Fox's room when another paw came to rest upon hers. Her head whipped up to lock eyes with a rather portly old badger whose smile was rife with warmth.

"Hello Ceria."

"Aldwyn." She gasped, even in his disguise she knew that psionic resonance clear as the day he ascended to his status as War God.

"What are you doing here?" She whispered as her fingers entwined in his palm. The old badger laughed and smiled as his disguise fell away. Revealing a powerfully built blue vulpine male in ornate silver plated armor that covered him head to toe. Two brutal axes hung off each hip etched in runes from the ancient days.

"I go by Bryn these days, though… it does this heart good to hear my name again. As for what I am doing here, well. Same thing as you, trying to save our people."

The vixen wrapped her arms about her lover and gingerly pressed her lips to his with a loving if not aggressive growl to which Aldwyn only too happily obliged in return. The two deities embraced with such ardor that it's effects could be felt across space and time. None could say who or what it was; but stories were bound to crop up after that days events unfolded.

The two parted with deep breaths as their snouts ran together. "You bastard… you've been gone for so long. I thought you died with the planet… the backlash almost took me." Murmured the white vixen.

"I know, I know, I failed our people and in my shame fled like a coward. But I'm back now, Can you forgive me?"

Ceria at first thought to slap the tod for even asking such a thing. He already knew that answer. She never had the ability to stay mad at him for long. "Of course I forgive you. You had good reasons for what you did, I'm sure. It still hurt but you came back. That's all that matters." She hummed teary eyed and nuzzled into his chin.

Aldwyn was filled with joy at the chance for redemption in the eyes of his mate. Truth be told, he had feared rejection for his stupidity but was more than eager to make up for lost time and set things straight. "Yes, the trial with Krystal and Fox isn't there. Anger clouds their judgement just as it did Krystal's. They are blind to their own hypocrisy. Well, shall we give our boy the push he needs?"

"Lets… and one more thing. Disappear on me like that again and you can forget being in the same bed with me for a few millennia."

The two vulpines gazed at one another before indulging in a hearty laugh as they embraced and locked lips once more only for the briefest of moments and parted with reluctance. "I'm here to stay." Replied Aldwyn.

Ceria patted the side of her mates face as the two passed through the portal and into Fox's room quietly. The pair split to stand on either side of young vulpines bed as he lay there in silence.

"I wish we could let him rest more, his mind is still recovering from all that damage.

The white vixen was in agreement; but desperation was pushing her to this extreme. "I am in agreement, but with how things are going, I don't see Krystal living out the week."

With those words passing her lips, Ceria laid a palm on the side of Fox's face. "It's time to wake up Fox. Krystal needs you."

The reaction was instantaneous as Fox's green eyes lifted open and he groaned with two palms clutching the side of his head. His eyes adjusted to the bright light before he noticed a white vixen who was all too familiar from his dreams and an armored tod he swore up and down was someone he had met before but could not place him.

"Wait... is this another one of those dreams?" Fox muttered groggily.

"'Fraid not." The tod spoke. "This is very real, and no time to lollygag."

Fox sat up with a groan at how sore he felt. The orange tod felt like he went six rounds with a championship fighter and got the worse end of the deal. "Uhm… Okay, who are you?"

"I think you would remember me as Bryn, we met on the merc station when you first came out to this part of space, I looked like a fat old badger."

Once, twice, then a third blink. "Wait… what…"

The blue tod shook his head with a laugh. "Should we meet after this, I will explain. But we've brought you out of your sleep for a specific reason. We should be letting you rest but things are moving faster than anticipated. Krystal is on trial before her brothers and sisters. It's not looking good."

"Wait… trial for what?"

"Treason," replied Ceria. "She turned her back not only on you but the very core beliefs of our people. That betrayal runs so deep that her own staff weapon has been hesitant to work for her on more than one occasion. She's lucky it did when that foul creature named Panther attacked her."

Fox's reaction was immediate and intense. "Wait… Panther did what?!" The tods snarl was primal, feral even as the blood lust returned to his eyes at the mere thought of his most beloved vixen threatened by that womanizing wind bag.

Aldwyn laughed "I knew why I liked this boy, he has spirit! But now is not the time to focus on that, you can deal with him later. For now, you need to get dressed and make towards the ships briefing room. That's where they're holding the proceedings."

The orange vulpine shook his head quietly and sighed as memories came flooding forward as though his head were a computer in the midst of a total system restart. He lived his death for the umpteenth time and the blood lust he experienced ran alongside the pleasant memories which caused them to mesh in a strange macabre fashion. Fox didn't know whether to feel joy or outright hatred.

Sadly, a part of him was still holding onto that grudge despite all Krystal had done. The same antipathy reared its ugly head as he spoke. "Why should I?" He stated coldly. "After what she did to my team, what she did to me? Why do I owe her anything?"

That caught both of the Cerinians off guard; they had expected him to rise to the occasion and go do the right thing without question. Perhaps they underestimated just how damaged he was.

"Matter of fact, why should I do anything you two say? I've gone all my life without gods or spirits intervening on my behalf until the Krazoa and Krystal. Sure I had a good couple of years with that business; then everything blew up in my face."

The juxtapose was one that defied logic. He had shown concern when mentioning Panther attacking Krystal, but now he was at the opposite end of that spectrum. The tod showed a distinct lack of care or empathy for Krystal's predicament.

"Where were you when she needed the both of you? Where were either of you when I begged for help on Indoshan? I suffered through a mental and physical hell to get to some fucking golden building in my head and then told to "Figure it out?! As far as I am concerned, I don't owe either of you a damn thing."

Ceria was not giving up despite the anger she saw in Fox's eyes. The tod though understandably miffed, was wasting valuable time. There was far too much at stake to let her people fall because Fox could not let go of his grievance. The arctic vixen began speaking with a matronly tone as though scolding a child. "She saved your life Fox, I watched as she struggled with your fragmented mind. You and a part of your psyche both worked together to pull it back in one piece. It was a monumental effort and that has to count for something."

Fox was less than convinced. "Did she do it for me? Or did she finally realize what she had done and was trying to soothe her own guilt? Was it all so she could go back to her bastard of a mate without worrying she had put me in the ground?" Fox shot back as he drew the IV and various other medical parts off his body only to climb out of the bed naked as the day he was born. The tod performed a deep stretch as his back and neck popped audibly.

"I think you forgot the part where we mentioned Panther attacked her." Aldwyn said sternly.

"Got what she deserved." He muttered. "I could have told her that was going to happen. Didn't even need clairvoyance for that one. Surprised it took this long."

Both Aldwyn and Ceria looked to each other flabbergasted. Krystal had come all this way for him, treated his mental wounds and saved his very life. Now he was behaving as though he owed her nothing at all.

Ceria was less than pleased with Fox and her tone was denoting that her patience had begun to wear very thin. "So, all that she did counts for nothing then?"

"It's because of what she did I'm here in the first place!" he retorted and then closed his eyes. "I love her with all my heart, I really do… but she killed me god dammit. I died! And you two just expect me to outright forgive her for that?! One atta boy does not undo something of this caliber! Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful, I truly am! But am I the only one who seems to remember I was killed because of her actions?! Not to mention nearly bit it a second time because Krystal's damn mental link was hemorrhaging in my head. Am I the only one here who seems to remember any of this? Or did I hit my head too hard on something?"

It was a difficult situation to be sure. Both sides had their points, Fox's death no doubt weighed heavily upon him and was influencing his mind. The two gods did have some trouble comprehending death themselves as they never experienced it like a mortal could. Even If they "died", they'd likely just be reborn in some way or reappear after a time.

"I don't even know if I can trust her."

"Then why did you say you love her?" Ceria demanded.

"Because I do, I love her but…"

"But he's scared she could do it all again…" Aldwyn butted in. "She did it once, what's stopping her from repeating that mistake?"

Ceria looked to her lover and then back to Fox. The hearts of men were fickle at the worst of times and while she did not want to admit it; Fox's worries were not unfounded. Ceria had to try another way. A path she could reach through to his inner good nature. His fears and anxieties about Krystal were gaining too much traction in his decision making.

"I'm not saying you have to outright forgive her Fox, I don't think anyone could make that argument given what she has done. All I'm asking is much like Sylvara did. Give her a chance. Give her the opportunity she never gave you."

"And if she relapses?"

Aldwyn shook his head as he added onto the conversation. "Don't deal in ifs. Doing that will only drive you nuts. I empathize with your fear Fox, I really do. I've gone through something similar; but I can tell you with certainty that to lose a love like this is an experience that will eventually kill you. It almost did me in." The blue vulpines eyes turned towards his mate and gave her a sad smile, one that was filled with remorse but joy that she was so openly accepting him back while they were fighting for the future of their people.

Ceria returned the gaze with all the kindness she could muster; and considering how aggravating Fox was being; that was quite a feat. "We cannot make you forgive Krystal, she has to earn it. But she has at least a chance to make up for what she did, wouldn't you say?"

"How does one make up for death?" Fox said as his eyes turned up to Ceria. "How can I forgive her for that? I never laid a hand on her. I know I hurt her emotionally and I wish I never had done that; but I never would take her life. Directly or indirectly."

Fox was hung up on that aspect of all this and failing to see the larger picture. He had a chance at a happy life and Ceria could feel Krystal's dedication to repent for her mistakes. Ceria was trying to find something, anything to help Fox see the truth of the matter. He had been so ready to talk just days ago, yet now his mind was hazed in a sea of doubt and strung up emotions.

It was about this time Aldwyn had an idea. "Ceria, my dove. Could you leave us for a moment?"

The Cerinian goddess looked to her counterpart and raised an eyebrow.

"Trust me."

_What do you intend?_

Aldwyn smiled to her as he replied within the confines of her mind.

_I'm going try to talk to him as one man to another. You're also frustrated and it's putting him on the defensive. I've been in his boots before, so maybe it'll help._

Ceria was dubious for obvious reasons, but seeing as how Fox seemed to be in a repeating cycle of doubt and anger. She would give her love a shot.

_If this doesn't work, I'm pulling out all the stops. The fate of our people rests on this._

_Perhaps it was our error to levy so much on these two._ Replied Aldwyn.

_Perhaps… good luck._

Ceria promptly vanished and Fox turned to the silvered armored vulpine with skepticism.

"What's going on now?"

"I wanted to talk to you man to man."

"Don't you mean God to man?" Fox snorted.

"Believe it or not I was once mortal like you." He replied. "A very long time ago. But that's not the point."

"No, the point is you two want me to forgive Krystal after everything she's done. What happens if I say no?"

Aldwyn rolled his shoulders as he looked to Fox as his metal plates clanked quietly. "Then in all likelihood she will die and what's left of the Cerinian species will be damned for all eternity."

Fox raised an eyebrow at that and though he didn't want to show it; a brief flash of concern crossed his features at the mention of Krystal dying. "A bit melodramatic, don't you think?"

"Possibly; but it's the truth. The children of Ceria are blinded by their anguish and hate. You've seen what they've become, what they're capable of. The Cerinians, my people; are deeply connected to the universe around them. Should they give into the darkness that has rooted in their hearts… I shudder to think what havoc they could unleash with their collective power." Alwdyn muttered quietly, the tone in his voice clearly unnerved by the concept.

"You understand better than most Fox. As you were much like they a year ago. Merciless, blood thirsty, filled overflowing with enough piss and vinegar to sink a battleship. At least until the incident with the Imperial officer whom you were sent to assassinate."

Fox froze in place as he began to slip on his uniform. "Don't."

"I'm going to Fox, you know damn well you're better than this. I agree you should be mad at Krystal for what she did. It's unforgivable… which is what makes you the man you are. That capacity for forgiveness and compassion despite the hell you've been through. Your soul, though tarnished is far from bleak and destroyed as so many others who have suffered similar fates. You gave in and crawled back out from the black pit of despair with tooth and claw. You who have waged war in the heavens, destroyed fleets, raised armies to the ground and killed a would be god. You are a legend Fox, hero to billions, possibly even trillions. You spared a man's life in front of his own children when you were sent to end him for daring to speak out in favor of ending indentured servitude within The Empire. They never told you his family was there, or that his children would be present. In fact, they were probably banking on it. Yet you held back. Fox McCloud; actual wars notwithstanding; you stopped yourself from making more orphans and becoming the very thing you despised."

The words rang true in Fox's ears as he recalled the event, he could still hear the two cubs crying as he stood over their father, gun at the ready to end the man's life. All the while the woman tried her best to console her children. The smell of blood, fear, and the adrenaline that coursed through his veins came up fresh in his mind. His anger began to slowly abate but it was not enough. Fox still resisted. "How long have you been watching me?"

"Long enough."

Fox hated answers like that.

"And what bout Ceria?"

Aldwyn shrugged slightly. "I don't know, I kept a very low profile so others like me didn't notice my presence."

"Even with everything you said is true, that didn't stop Corneria and Lylat as a whole from turning their back on me the moment Star Wolf saved their worthless hides."

Aldwyn wanted to snap at Fox, to yell and scream at the boy to pucker his ass hole and and bare it like the soldier he was; but knew it wasn't that simple. Things like rarely were. Fox was the last of his line and everything he had worked for had been ripped out from underneath him. The love of his life threw him to the enemy in a spiteful rage. He felt isolated, alone, and no one could tolerate such an existence for extended periods. Granted, many of these things were by his own doing; but that did not change the fact that Fox was hurting as any mortal would be in the situation he was in.

The cobalt tod understood all too well what it was like to have everything he worked for thrown back into his face and doing a thankless job for most of his life. The difference was he knew that the rewards in the end were worth it. Fox was in a state of confusion teetering on despair. He needed to make Fox see that all was not lost. That there was still much to be gained in his life. With a sigh of vexation at the frustrating vulpine; Aldwyn moved around the bed and stood next to Fox.

"Imagine how I felt when Cerinia met its end Fox. I am literally connected to an entire planet that is dead and barren. Yet I can hear every ghost, spirit, and wraith screaming out for revenge and agony as they are forced to relive that day over and over again because they cannot let their grudges go. I have to live with that failure much as you do yours. The difference here; I can hear them at every hour of every day. Even now I hear their screams and it drives me mad that I cannot do anything for them at this juncture. You have been given a chance to fix everything that has gone wrong. All you need to do is seize it."

Fox turned his gaze to the armored vulpine and locked eyes with Aldwyn.

"You once thought you lost everything. That you were adrift even as those around you watched you slowly waste away and worked yourself to death. Until you met Krystal, on that day, I watched a broken man heal in a flash and for once in his life hope was clear on his face. Again and again I observed as you two came so close to true happiness and I screamed into the void hoping both of you would take the plunge. Yet you hesitated and then threw her aside because she was precious to you and you couldn't bare the thought of her dying because you weren't there to protect her. Which in itself is a paradox that makes my head spin. Seriously, she was safest at your side. The hells were you thinking?"

Fox's fists clenched as Aldwyn spoke, every word; each and every syllable struck like a hammer blow. The younger of the two turned his head low as he slipped his white jacket on, how his old uniform had gotten here he didn't know, nor did he really care as he slid it on piece by piece."I know I did, every bit of this was because I made a choice for her, rather than with her."

_Progress…_

"But… I did not kill her, I did not force her onto Star Wolf or into that piece of shit Panthers arms. That's all on her."

_By all that is holy this boy is infuriating! Two steps forward and three steps back!_

Aldwyn finally had enough as he grabbed Fox by the shoulder and shoved him against the wall. He expected fear and yet all he got was defiance. Fox had slain a would be god before, and held no apprehension in regards to the divine. For once in his life, Aldwyn was filled with genuine amazement at a mortals sheer testicular fortitude. It took a special kind of crazy or bravery to defy individuals of their power.

"Fox, I admire your courage and balls out mentality. You have the soul of a warrior well beyond his years. But this needs to stop, the cycle must be broken. If not for your sake, then think of the Cerinians who suffer and will languish if it is not. Think of those who will grow up in the shadow of their parents shame and lost glory of a people once filled with so much love and care. Do these Cerinians not fall under the oath you once took? To protect the innocent and those who would stand against the likes of Andross?"

The mention of his old nemesis got the vulpines attention as he gazed back into those compassionate aquamarine eyes. He swore for a moment he spied a fleck of familiar green in them but chalked it up to a trick of the light.

"She tried to justify Andross's actions to hurt you and fool herself into thinking you were worse than that beast. Will you let him have that victory after all this time? Will you let Andross break the both of you?

The god like vulpine gazed with ferocity down at the mortal before him as he continued. "Was James' and Vixy's sacrifices not enough? Are you going to shame them and their memory with this behavior?"

If Aldwyns goal was to humiliate and emotionally abuse him; it was a success. Fox never felt more like a piece of shit in his life than that moment. The chasm of self deprecation that wrenched itself through his body and was immense. Every word the deity spoke rang hard and resonated through his very soul. Fox did not weep; he did not buckle down and cry or lose himself in that moment. He was in a state of limbo, unsure of his next actions. Fox knew for the longest time what he had done, how much he had hurt Krystal and himself in the process. He had ripped her home out from underneath her and took Krystal away from her family like a selfish prick. Fox had no one to blame but himself for what came afterwards. His actions were disgraceful and not worthy of his father's name.

"You wronged her, and she returned it in kind. An eye for an eye…"

"Leaves the whole world blind." Fox said and finished the quote.

_Please let me get through to him._

"It all starts with you Fox. You have to end this."

The orange vulpine looked up at Aldwyn and swallowed nervously. Several long minutes past as Fox's mind raced between so many choices; words he wanted to speak and use to justify his actions. Yet he could not find one that made any kind of sense. Everything was on him at this point in life. He had to make the choice. Did he continue the anger and pain that both Krystal and he were part of? Or, did he put his big boy pants on and break the cycle he set into motion?

Fox closed his eyes as he came to a decision. Fear, uncertainty and a fierce case of anxiety plagued him, yet his courage won through as his head rose and gazed up at Aldwyn and spoke in the voice of a defeated yet resolute man. "I've been a shit haven't I?"

"Incredibly so, but not without reason. As men, we love fiercely, our hearts are fickle and our minds are wont to follow that tradition. It's why great women like Vixy, Krystal, or Ceria are at our sides. For without them, we would be lost, just as they without us, would be aimless. We are at our best together, not alone. A lesson I learned when I was away."

"Just like my mother and father." Fox replied then shook his head as a crazy thought entered his mind. The subject of Aldwyn knowing who his parents were clicked into place "How do you know… are they here!?" The tod looked around and half expected to see someone with a pair of aviators or a vixen with a familiar golden necklace on. If gods were about, then maybe, just maybe his parents were watching.

Aldwyn frowned as the tod looked frantically about. It pained him to see the young man looking for something to grasp onto before the armored warrior had to reorient Fox's priorities. "Focus Fox. You will see them again someday; but right now, you need to worry about two people. Specifically yourself and Krystal. You know what needs to be done, yes?"

Fox sighed and tilted his head back against the wall with a nod. "I do…" The sound of a deep and calm breath filtered out of his nose as the tod slid on his gloves and grabbed Ceria's Mercy after pushing past Aldwyn. "I know what I need to do."

"Then go."

Fox headed for the door with equipment in hand and turned to look at the armored vulpine. "One question, why didn't you tell Sylvara where her daughter was? That's been bugging me for a bit."

Aldwyn chuckled sheepishly and looked a bit nervous. "If I'm to be honest, I was scared shitless of being noticed by Ceria. What with failing to inspire the Cerinians to victory and the troubles they were going through; I thought Krystal and you deserved to be happy after all the suffering both of you have endured."

Fox shook his head and sighed. It was a response he had not expected. "Thank you."

"No, Fox. Thank you."

As the todd exited; Aldwyn uttered a cavernous sigh of comfort as the tod seemed to understand.

_There is still hope and the boy may yet do right._

Ceria arrived scant seconds later and noticed a lack of a certain orange vulpine.

_Do you think it worked?_

Aldwyn gave his love an uncertain gaze. _I don't know, all we can do now is hope that his stubborn streak is at an end. We should probably leave before the others find out just how much interfering we've been doing. Last thing I want is Cedia lecturing me for a few thousand years._

The white furred vixen let out an airy giggle that caused her bust to jiggle in a tantalizing way. _Oh, I'll just flash her and that'll shut her up._

Aldwyn's gave a shake of his head. _Hardly the time for jokes… but I would pay to see that._

Ceria smiled broadly with a comforting warmth upon her face as she lent over to kiss her lover on the nose. _That will have to wait however, as you and I have some serious making up to do._

The two vulpines faded from the room as if they had never been there in the first place.

All was silent until the door to the infirmary opened up as Fox came back inside. The orange tod had forgotten his helmet in haste and began to gather his effects only to stop and pause at the table next to the bed. Two items lay upon it that had not been there before; the sheer impossibility that they were ever there to begin with made Fox's eyes fly open wide as he froze in place for several excruciating seconds.

When Fox finally regained his senses, he took in the room around him for any sign, something, maybe even a fleeting glimpse before his paw reached over to touch a pair of aviators that held a gold chain necklace wrapped around the center piece. A small flawless emerald dangled at the end with a flamboyant golden V etched into the stone. Tears sat at the corners of his eyes and threatened to fall while he held the two items of import in his palm before stashing them both into his left chest pocket. Now more than ever Fox knew he was ready to face his greatest challenge. It was a trial not against some great monstrous warship nor was it some would be god; his test was facing the consequences he set in motion almost two full years ago. To heal the emotional scars he had left open in both their hearts. Pulling the trigger on a weapon was ten times easier than what he had to face.

_I gotta break this damn cycle._

Fox took off at a full sprint out the door and down the hall.

**x-x-x-x**

Shame, pure unrivaled shame was what Krystal felt sitting in the chair before her mother and the elders who were in charge. They had poured through her memories and watched everything unfold with their own eyes. No doubt her mother had shared what she knew from Fox's experiences and they were able to put two and two together. She had been forced to view them alongside the elders and sense their judgement of what she had done.

With hindsight in play; Krystal knew what she did was inexcusable. Even with her emotional well being compromised, they expected better of her. She was of royal blood with potential to be one of the strongest psionics among her people. A beacon of hope, justice, and all that was good in a Cerinian.

And she blew it.

Krystal was no exception to her peoples ways. She took treachery just as hard as any other. The azure vixen loved her culture dearly and intended to keep a firm hold of it; especially for the day she had children so as to teach them about their heritage. She hadn't even thought about that aspect of her people up until the very moment Fox made his earth shattering decision and took it to its most extreme. She could not help but wonder if Fox regretted his choices as much as she did, though Wisdom had certainly seemed to display as much. The one thing she was grateful for was that her mother now understood just how much she regretted her actions. Krystal would catch looks of sympathy from Sylvara on occasion as the woman did her best to maintain an unattached and unbiased attitude in the trial. Though it was clear she was failing and all of this madness was eating her up inside.

The seven judges were of course vulpines from various clans that ranged all across Cerinia. Each representative along with her mother were conversing and Sylvara had a look of dread upon her features. Ears wilted and whiskers hung low as she was utterly powerless to stop the trial. They had been deliberating for days while she had delayed them as much as possible in hopes that Fox would wake up. With Fox as a witness, and hopefully their bridges starting to be rebuilt; the gamble was he would defend her. Sadly, it seemed that roll of the dice had backfired.

Krystal felt as though she were in her own personal hell as she sat there before so many of her people she had long thought dead. She was the subject of their ire and it hurt in ways she found hard to attribute any meaningful words to.

Silence within the chamber was deafening as one by one each vulpine on the council turned to face Krystal until all eyes were on her. Their myriad of blues and purples all gazing upon her in accusatory glances. Only her mother's eyes held any compassion. It didn't matter to Krystal however, she was ready. It was time to face the facts that there was nothing she could to change the outcome.

One vulpine stood up at the end. Viara was her name; an elderly vixen from the ice caps in the far north, smaller than the average Cerinian and among the only tribes to have more white than blue upon their fur. "Judgement is upon you Krystal, for your treasonous actions against those who took you in; disgracing not only yourself but the royal line the people of Cerinia. You are hereby sentenced to death. A life for a life; and though McCloud lives, blood will be repaid."

That was it. The verdict was there and in the open. She would be executed for the death of Fox and the dishonor she had brought down upon them all. Her paws gripped the seat as her teeth were bared. Her last vain hope that she would be spared their wrath was gone.

"What say you to this verdict, Krystal?"

Part of her wanted to bolt and make for the hangar to flee into the darkest reaches space never to be seen again. But she had no weapons and the doors were guarded. Krystal was good and had they been regular soldiers; she would have had a chance. However, the guards were other Cerinian warriors; of which she was out of practice fighting against. It would be difficult, if not impossible without her staff weapon which had been stripped from her.

Krystal's desire to lash out was great, to shout how she was betrayed by the man she loved. And yet that debt was paid just like they said; in his blood and very life. They intended to make the scales of justice equal.

"I have nothing to say." She finally spoke through clenched teeth.

"Very well… Execution will be-"

The doors to the hall opened with a low heavy swing of the hinges as voices of those gathered began to murmur as all eyes turned towards the doorway. Yet Krystal was so focused on what had been said and the verdict, she could think of nothing else but the sorrow that she would not get to see Fox again. She would not even get a chance to say goodbye.

"What is this? How dare you interrupt these proceedings, Guards, escort him from the room!" Viara cried.

Fox McCloud stood there at the entrance to the chamber and looked to his left and right. Guards armed with various Cerinian weapons and blasters lined the knew of his capacity for leadership, bravery, and downright terrifying combat ability.

He who carried Ceria's Mercy, the man who was trusted most by the woman who was essentially their queen. Though the council had not confirmed Sylvara as such, she still carried quite a bit of authority. Each guard turned their heads to one another and not a single man or woman moved a muscle. To fight Revenant was to invite death; and many of these soldiers had fought and bled by his side. The council could scream all they wanted at them; but Fox was someone they respected far more and were just bit more scared of.

When no guards made a move towards him, Fox strode forward confidently. "I believe Councillor, It's rather questionable to have a court hearing without the plaintiff present. Is it not?" Fox said as he moved. He could feel Krystal's plight, her terror and fear at what had just been delivered. Their psionic link was in full swing and reconnected; stronger, clearer than ever before. Part of him wanted to rush to her and embrace her, to say everything was going to be alright. But he was not here to save her, no. Fox was here to make amends so that the pair of them could move forward. She did not need saving like a damsel in distress for this was a battle that they would fight together, as one.

His boots clacked off the wooden floors as he approached the seat where Krystal sat stewing in her pain. Closer and closer he came until he rounded the arm and came to kneel beside her. The look on her face made his heart want to break all over again. The look of sheer defeat and despair made her normally pristine and gorgeous features scrunch up in a way that pained him. This was never his intent for her. In his heart Fox knew he never wanted Krystal to suffer like this. The drive to make things right grew within his chest; he wanted to see her smile again, to gaze into those beautiful eyes that had once been so vivacious. He was unsure of what to do next but rather than think; he acted.

Fox lifted his paw up gently to touch the side of Krystal's face and cupped it with such tenderness and care that Krystal nearly jumped at the sensation that coursed through her. It was a shock to her system, the feel of sympathy and utmost compassion was wholly alien to her for the last two years other than Mia who had joined her mission. Krystal's eyes were rife with surprise that intermixed destructive sorrows as those two orbs raised up and gazed at the man with whom all her efforts had been focused on.

At first the azure vixen thought she was losing her mind with grief, but the touch was real. Every caress and gentle squeeze of his paw pads sent shivers racing down her spine. No mere phantom could elicit such a reaction with how his touching caress doused her mind in endorphins. Krystal had expected to see hate in those deep pools of green despite the feeling of reassurance coming from the tod. However, she glimpsed nothing but adoration in the endless recesses of his emerald hues. It felt like time had stopped, that everything else around them ceased to exist and it was just the two of them in a universe that was entirely concentrated towards the pair. There were no tears, no cries of celebration as Krystal did the only sensible thing she could do and lunged down to embrace that tod with all her might; something Fox was all too happy to reciprocate.

Both vulpines clutched each other tightly and buried their heads into the others neck, Fox's paw lay at rest on the back of her head in those rich azure locks that ran well past her shoulders. His arms were taught about the vixen he feared would disappear from his life once more if he did not hold on. To Fox it was the singular greatest feeling of respite that he experienced in what felt like a lifetime. Her soft fragrant scent, the feel of her beating heart against his chest; Krystal's rich silken fur beneath his touch which melded with the warmth and joy from her that meshed powerfully within his own mind. The sheer force of it rippled out around to others in the room and caused the atmosphere taking on a different tone than the tumultuous tension he felt upon entry. Fox did not quite know what the effect they were having on the room just by their display of affection for no one told them, nor did either vulpine speak a word to other, so enraptured were they in each others presence.

The power that expanded throughout could not be ignored. For it was a singular force. One that all of them were familiar with at one point in their lives. It was love, a form of it so pure that it's mere existence moved many in the room from their staunch hatred, into a sympathetic middle ground. Husbands and wives turned to each other; those who had not declared their passion felt themselves drawn closer together than ever before. Even those on the council basked in the encompassing might that radiated about the couple before their eyes. Such was the power that some of them had begun to have second thoughts to their actions. For many cultures, such actions of affection would have garnered a contempt of court, or perhaps being arrested on the spot. But for a room full of telepaths; the emotions pouring out of the couple before them were intense and a delight to experience vicariously. And though it had certainly had an effect Fox never intended; it pushed things ever so slightly in their favor. There were still miles to go and it would take more than just love to push past their trial.

It was a strange event to many in the room. The sight before them was a spectacle to behold as the pairs minds and souls burned brighter than anything they had seen since before the fall of Cerinia. Others felt it was an interference on their hearing. Yet none dared to speak out against the soldier who had done much for them. He had rescued so many of their people from enslavement or far worse fates, stood where others retreated and avenged many a fallen comrade. Condemned or not, Krystal was under his protection in that moment and all were sure that to try and carry out the sentence would invite swift death.

Sylvara watched the moment pass with intense satisfaction. Somewhere, somehow, she could feel that events were unfolding. Fox wasn't supposed to wake up for a few more days from his recovery. Her gamble had been a vain hope; but it seemed someone else had other plans. Still, they were far from out of the frying pan. Even with the potent emotions filling the room, she could still pick up the sensations of acrimony and bitter contempt. However, there was a better chance to succeed than there had been five minutes ago.

_Gods, I hope whatever you've got is good._

The matronly vixen now understood and had the full story in her mind. Fox had done something so stupid and yet full of love; it was worthy of praise after he had been chastised for doing something so paradoxical. To sacrifice his own happiness in order to protect the one person he cherished most. Yes, it was a form of treachery and such things were only tolerated in the most extreme of circumstances. Cerinian law could easily blame him for such while sympathizing with Krystal. The problem was that here; things were not so black and white. Fox and Krystal's situations were similar but different enough to cause even a seasoned prosecutor pause. Or would if her people were not so blinded by anger and self righteous behavior. The fact Krystal had killed Fox caused one serious thorn in her side as she had tried to make the case for Krystal's compromised mental state. It had been countered that Krystal had knowingly led Fox into a trap which meant she was not temporarily insane, nor was she completely out of control of her mental faculties. The fact that Krystal had succumbed to a more malicious intent and let her anger rule to the point of treason was not only a mark against her, but it disgraced the very blood that coursed through Krystal's veins and shamed Cerinians everywhere. For she was a representative of her people in Lylat, knowingly or not and her actions had no doubt in their minds that the vixen left one hell of a nasty taste in the mouths of Lylatians.

Sylvara couldn't really argue against that and thus dropped the defense much to her dismay. The elder vixen hated the position she was in, one of the last of a royal line, stuck upon an accursed seat that should have had the power to pardon Krystal. But in doing so she would cause an uproar in the anger filled Cerinians around her. She had been forced to watch as her own daughter had been berated and talked down due to her acts. What angered her most was that each of them could feel the remorse and self loathing that had been radiating off Krystal in great waves before Fox's arrival. It was clear her daughter had been ready to make things right and they were denying her that chance at redemption. She needed something, a way out to recuse herself and throw the whole court into disarray. Though, by all appearances it seemed Fox was to be the very deliverance she had been praying for.

All eyes watched on as the two vulpines down on the floor finally pulled themselves apart long enough to gaze at each other only for Fox to lean in and rub his nose against hers.

_We'll talk after we get out of this mess, I promise._

To his words, Krystal's face became solemn as her head turned down.

_They already passed judgement Fox, there's nothing you can do..._

His reply quick like lightning as a paw gently cupped her chin to pull her up and face him.

_You're right, there is nothing I can do, but there is something we can._

The sound of his voice echoing within the confines of her mind soothed her and delivered unto Krystal a small bout of power and warmth with which he spoke spread to her and caused hope to blossom in her chest. The fact he spoke of them together and working in tandem as opposed to him doing all the heavy lifting left her speechless and wondering just what she did to bring this about.

_You trusted me once with your life Krystal, can you do it again?_

There were still so many unanswered questions. Plentiful thoughts about how he could hurt her or this could be a trick. But she was desperate, and so was he. She could see it in his eyes, the way his whiskers twitched, how his eyes though full of daring were mixed with apprehension. She knew Fox had to feel as though he were taking a huge risk in all of this; trusting her and putting his life on the line. To his credit, it showed just how far he was willing to go. This was their defining moment that would make or break them both. After so much suffering, hatred, and angst, it was time to choose her path.

Krystal reached out to take one of Fox's paws in her own and squeezed it as tight as she could. Her free one touched the side of his face and caressed Fox's handsome features with fingers that gingerly sifted through his fur.

_Yes, though, I am scared Fox. So much has happened and everything is moving so quickly. I don't want to this to continue. All I want is to put this behind us and move forward._

The tod kissed the palm of her hand delicately in response. The simple affection sent a lance of joy right into the center of her mind.

_I know… I'm practically shaking in my boots right now, but dammit, I miss you, I miss us. Just follow my lead Krystal and we'll come through this just like we've always done._

The azure vixen was hesitant, but what other choice did she have? Krystal gave a nod of her head as Fox stood up and turned about and she stood with him.

Fox looked at each member of the judges council and even locked eyes with Sylvara as a pang of warmth hit his chest and two simple words filled his mind from the matron.

_Thank you._

Fox only nodded his head in response before turning to the rest of the vulpines who had judged Krystal. He had a few choice words for the council he wanted to get off his chest.

"To be honest, I don't know what to say here." He began. "Coming down here, I thought I'd give a grand speech or something cliched like that… but in all honesty. I'm just going to say this. This trial is a sham. If anyone is deserving of judgement here. It's me. I set things in motion, I pushed her over the line and because of my actions and not thinking things through. She reacted accordingly. So, if you need blood or whatever it is. Then take it from me, leave her alone."

At first Krystal was perplexed, he said they would get out of it together. Here he was putting himself in her spot for execution. Yet the fact he took responsibility for his actions made her want to smile. It meant he understood his role in things and how they had gone down. It did not excuse her in the slightest, but it was a damn good start on his part for making it up to her.

Viara glared at Fox. "Unfortunately, Fox, you do not have a say in these matters. Judgement has been passed, Krystal will be executed for her crimes."

Fox grinned wide and clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth.

"Krystal, I have a legal question about your culture."

The vixen blinked. "Uhm, alright?"

"With how warrior orientated Cerinians are, and how much honor plays a role. In a situation like this, if the plaintiff wants charges dropped and this hearing rendered null because of the lack of understanding and a desire to forgive the offender. With obvious conflicts of interest on display; that being your own mother is the primary judge, and not to mention I don't even need the Cerinian bond to feel the rage in this room. What could be done?"

 _Legalities? Okay Fox, lets see where you're going with this,_ Sylvara thought to herself.

"She-" Viara began only to be interrupted by Fox.

"I asked Krystal, not you Viara." he snapped back with such force and ferocity that it silenced the judge and made even a few others jump in surprise. Fox admitted he liked having that effect on people; but he didn't want to get addicted to it. He had seen just how much fear could drive people to do unspeakable acts.

Krystal was trying to think of something she could use as law wasn't exactly her strong suit, but she knew more than a few high profile cases back on Cerinia. As agrarian as their society had been, technology had been plentiful and high profile cases were often broadcasted.

"Well, there's a few things, but in this case, with judgement passed and if a plaintiff does not agree with the outcome from the court, there's an appeals process, but considering I'm sentenced to death that won't go anywhere... There's also a process for getting the case dismissed in the event of conflicts of interest; but again, sentencing has already been passed and I doubt given circumstances anyone would hear that." Krystal's tail went limp as she tried to find something, anything Fox could use. He had the power but without the tools, power was nothing.

_C'mon Krystal, think, what could he use to…_

Her eyes glued to the blade on his hip. Ceria's Mercy. The runic blade nestled neatly within it's scabbard and then it clicked. Fox was a warrior, a fighter, legal and political maneuvers were not his wasn't to say he couldn't do such things but he was a much better fighter than a politician.

_Oh Fox… you clever son of a bitch._

Krystal couldn't help but smile. The plan was so very much Fox, simple, direct, and it would hopefully get the job done. Her voice carried within it a modicum of hope that his gambit would pay off. "There is one thing that all Cerinian courts of law respect. Even in the modern age It's a bit old school as Lylatians would put it, but if the Plaintiff so wished to pursue other avenues of justice; trial by combat is the way to go."

Fox obtained a wicked grin upon his snout that even made Sylvara shake in her boots. It was a look of "Try me and see where it gets you." Everyone in the room knew his capacity for fighting and his ferocity when the moment struck. Beneath that calm quiet exterior was a beast, someone who was not afraid to strike out in violence when needed. And while the Cerinians had become far more bloodthirsty in a desperate clamor for revenge against those who harmed them; it was nothing compared to the rage Fox could unleash if he needed to.

With the proverbial legal weapon in hand, Fox gave a nod of his head to Krystal with a warm smile before turning back to the council. "There you have it. As the plaintiff, I do not agree with her sentence, nor do I think that this trial has been wholly unbiased. Either the charges are dropped and Krystal is acquitted. Or, you can send one of your soldiers at me in a test of arms. But before you decide, let me tell you, I have nothing left to lose and everything to gain. And should you refuse this challenge, I hope you're ready for one hell of a fight, because I will not let her life be taken so easily. So; I suggest you think very carefully before you decide."

It was Sylvaras turn to grin, as Chief Adjudicator in this case, she had to abide by the whim of the council up until this very point. With Fox present and that intense display of affection combined with his very real threat; everything had changed so drastically. She could feel a mixture of sympathy and awe from people in the room and it was growing with each passing second. The way he was requesting charges be dropped and a trial of combat called followed by the declaration that he would fight to the death for her. It showed that he was willing to forgive her for what she had done… Kindness and passion of that nature was not something even her people in their anger were entirely comfortable tainting in the pursuit of "justice". Ultimately, It was up to her to choose the combatant or none at all. And she would be damned before sending her soldiers against Fox, let alone in single combat.

_Well played Fox, well played._

"I don't think that will be necessary, Fox, you've made your case and you would be right. Tempers have been flared since the operating room. Anger has clouded many sensibilities as has my own disappointment and desire to protect my only daughter. To be honest, this whole trial has been one great disgrace on the honor of all Cerinians. Therefore, as Chief Adjudicator; I make my final ruling before recusing myself. The trial by combat is respected and hereby granted. Should no one step forward to challenge you, then all charges will be dropped and you will summarily be declared the winner with Krystal acquitted."

With her final say had, Sylvara stood up and relieved herself of the judges robes and placed them reverently on her seat only to step down and off to the side. She was intent on observing the final moments of the case.

"So." Fox said into the open briefing room. "Who thinks they have the balls to take me on and win?" He was cocky and sure of himself. The thing about his surefire attitude was that he'd earned it. Years of war and combat had honed Fox into an elite fighting machine. His experience outweighed everyone elses in the room and they all knew it. All their elite soldiers had been lost during the defense of Cerinia and Fox was a weapon forged in the fires of war and vengeance the likes of which none of them could match. Sure, they were all trained from birth to fight, but being trained and knowing how to fight were two separate things entirely.

For several long minutes no one answered the call to arms. Fox's green eyes scanned every guard and Cerinian that was in the room until they came to rest on the council now lacking a Chief Adjudicator. "I think that's your answer, Viara." Fox said firmly.

The arctic Cerinian bore her teeth in frustration. To an extent, both Fox and Sylvara were right. Anger had been clouding many of their thoughts and rulings, and now this entire debacle was laid bare before everyone along with her own biases and distaste for treachery exposed. It did very little to help the case and shamed them in the eyes of the gods. It did not help matters that the Cardinal Sun clan and her own clan; Winters Dawn, had come to blows in the past. If she could not even respect the rule of law and hoped to gain revenge on Krystal and Sylvara through legal means by abusing the system, then what kind of person was she?

Viara did not like the answer that she gave herself.

The arctic Cerinian stood as tall as she could and announced in a level headed voice so that the entire hall could hear. "Very well… all charges are dropped and Krystal is hereby acquitted due to the lack of a challenger for her champion. This case is forever forfeit and stricken from the records. It is to never be spoken of again. Lady Krystal, consider yourself a free woman and still welcome among your people."

Those words nearly made Krystal explode with joy as mounds of stress were sloughed off. Fox's plan had worked and it paid off in dividends. Her knowledge of tradition combined with Fox's reputation had won out without even lifting a single paw in violence; so excited was Krystal by the outcome that before anyone could react Krystal walked up to Fox, grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around with such speed Fox felt dizzy for a flash of a second when he felt a very familiar set of lips pressed to his own. The tods eyes flew open wide at the sudden unexpected but wonderful feeling of the vixen he truly loved locked him into a scorching kiss. The fondness he felt from her radiated like Lyla at her zenith on Papetoon and left him reeling. Fox of course was only too happy to return everything he was getting. Joy, relief, happiness in spades and who knows how many other emotions ran rampant between the pair as they gripped each other with such force that one would swear they were trying to crush each other. All the while Fox whispered into her mind over and over.

_I"m sorry, I'm so sorry Krystal._

The vixen silenced him as best she could, only reinforcing that kiss as she held onto him and deepened that meaningful meeting of lips and tongue as they met in the middle over and over. Neither vulpine cared in the slightest that there were other people present. The sheer strength that radiated off her mind and his own meshed into a comforting blanket that permeated the room. Tensions soothed, passions were laid bare and at the rate they were going clothes might be shed.

Sadly, as all good things tend to, their kiss came to an end by polite gentle cough that brought them back to reality. At some point everyone had left but Sylvara. The elder vixen was grinning at both of them.

"As happy as I am for both of you, I don't think stripping down here and getting reacquainted with each other is a good idea."

Both Krystal and Fox blushed furiously at just how enthralled they'd been with each other and shifted uncomfortably.

"That being said, You two should go to his room and get started on sorting your relationship out. And no, I don't mean doing that… but hey, who knows, maybe some angry make up sex might work it out for you."

"Mother!" Krystal said with a fierce blush upon her cheeks.

"What?" The older vulpine replied with mirth in her voice.

Fox flushed a bright beat red beneath his cheeks. The idea of him and Krystal being intimate just days ago seemed like an utter alien idea. But with recent events things weren't looking as bad as they had before.

"Ehem… she's right though. Everything's just been one big ball of madness since the fight outside the nebula. We haven't had a real chance to talk." Fox was certainly in agreement with Sylvara, anything to change the topic of them having relations and actually sorting things out with Krystal.

"Right… of course, uhm, let's go then. Shall we Fox?"

Fox was understandably nervous as he had no idea what to expect, but things were certainly looking up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone. Here's chapter 10! Okay, what a wild ride this has been, chapters 7, 8, and 9 generated some crazy interest in this story. Seriously, my notifications box for reviews exploded and I thank each and everyone of you for that feedback. Even if some of us do not see eye to eye on certain things, the fact that people generated feedback both positive and negative is just part of the process. ANYWHO. So, a couple of things here. I wanted to really get Ceria (Aka The Mother) and Bryn (Aldwyn) Involved directly, they have been really only used to push a narrative forward by this point imo and I felt like I was just doing a disservice to those characters. So I wanted to have two of the big ones really step in and give Foxy a mild dressing down.
> 
> That being said; I've had multiple folks tell me that Krystal deserves a bit more sympathy. I hope with how I had the Cerinian Gods behave and Sylvara coming around in this chapter alleviated that concern.
> 
> As another note, don't let the hug and kiss fool you, it was a spur of the moment thing and these two have quite a bit of crap to work though. The love and will to see it through is there, but things will still be rough as healing takes time. Not just for Fox and Krystal, but Krystal will still have to prove she's worthy of her title and being among the Cerinians. Though legally she's welcomed, that doesn't mean the people will accept her. She's got some work to do in that department. But the payoff boys n girls, the payoff is coming.


	11. The Hard Road Ahead

Panther Caroso sat in his cell aboard the alien vessel Sword of Menshar; he had been down in the dimly lit hall for days now and left with nothing but the occasional meal and his own thoughts. Fame and glory had been his, but an act of outright hubris it had all turned to ash in his paws. The myriad of crimes he committed while being a supposed "Hero" of Corneria had landed him in deep shit, not only with the law but Wolf himself. One did not fuck with his former bosses bread and butter and come out unscathed. To top off his near-comical and sudden plummet from fame; Panther had chased Krystal clear across the galaxy in an effort to get her back and instead of succeeding, his efforts had not availed him. Instead; he had been beaten to a pulp and humiliated before a crowd of onlookers by the very same woman he sought to claim as his own by any means necessary. The scars upon his pride had been growing deeper by the day as he dwelled upon his defeat.

The black feline felt his hackles rise at the burning humiliation he had felt at so many witnessing his loss. By a woman shorter and less in weight than himself no less! The indignation he suffered caused the Panther to experience a rancor to well up with the belief that others saw him as a tool. It was all McClouds fault of course, how could it be his own doing? Panther thought himself a suave smooth talking pilot with all the skills he needed to woo a woman.

Which to his surprise and shock had not been entirely true; Krystal had required some extra work. Namely turning her against her Ex and ensuring the blue vixen only had eyes for him. It had been difficult at first, and she had resisted his charms. It had only been a matter of time though. Wounded women were always the easiest to manipulate; with her emotions compromised and the cracks in her personal armor; it was child's play for Panther to weasel his way in and cause even more damage.

 _Hmmph, stupid girl, she doesn't know what she's missing. She'll regret running back to McCloud before long and then she'll be back where she belongs._ The overconfident feline thought to himself.

"And it's that kind of thinking that landed you in the position you are now." Came a voice from the other side of his prison cell. The tone carried within it sounded so familiar, and for a split second, Panther thought his dreams came true as a vixen remarkably resembling Krystal came into view. However, the feline quickly caught on that it was not her. The female bore subtle and not so subtle marks of maturity that only came with time. This vixen was far more filled out in a matronly fashion. Time had been good to the azure vulpine. Even with age she was no less beautiful and the vixen carried in her steps confidence and purpose that only came with experience in life.

_Hrmm, perhaps I can charm this one and…_

"Telepath." The vixen answered curtly. "An emotionally uncompromised telepath."

_Damnit…_

Sylvarad delivered a simple nod of her head to someone he couldn't see and the bars slid open for her to pass through. Those very same bars closed like a shockwave in the black cat's mind. Whatever little voice he had was telling him that he was up to his eyes in shit. The gentle sound of metal on metal filled the air as the armored vulpine sat before him in a chair and produced a data slate.

"Panther Caroso, age; unknown, birthplace, unknown. Affiliations, Macbeth Syndicate, Freelancer, and now formerly Star Wolf. Gun Runner, Grand Larceny, Money Laundering to name a few crimes that your employer O'Donnell informed me of." She announced while the vixen read off his rap sheet. To his shock, the vulpine threw the slate away and leaned back into her chair. Her fierce aquamarine eyes boring into his very head. Silence hung thick in the air, as though a storm were threatening to break and Panther would be at the center of it.

"Not that I care about any of that. What I do care about, is what you did and tried to do to my daughter."

_Oh shit._

"Oh, shit is right Mr. Caroso. You see, Cerinians do not take kindly to manipulation, least of all when we are suffering and in need of comfort. And while you did indeed offer my daughter that comfort, you did so for your own selfish gain to feed your ego and desires. I'm just so very glad my daughter's body knew better than she did. At least she can give herself to someone truly deserving of her love and affections in all forms."

Panther looked at the woman with a snide look in his eyes. The idea that a woman's body could deny him. It was laughable, to say the least. That thick tail of his was stiff and struck out against the metal flooring. But, as Panther was wont to do, he wasn't going to let himself be talked down to. "Hah, you mean that pathetic McCloud boy? He can't handle such a fine wo-"

"Shut your slovenly cock holster!" The vixen snarled out in total depreciation. Panther's mouth instantly snapped shut despite his own want to speak. The cat found himself unable to move his lips or even tongue as the woman's voice filled the cell and carried within it an eerie undertone of duality. It was like a distorted sound wave that carried itself into the deepest recesses of his mind that compelled him to obey.

"If I wanted to hear your drivel, I would have told you to speak. But I don't. All you speak is lies to the benefit of your own inflated ego. Your flowery words and expressions are like insect shit to me. What I do care about though, is that you never bother my daughter or McCloud; ever again."

The jungle cat felt a deep fear creep into his mind as the power she had over him without even touching him was utterly terrifying. After all, it was he who was always in control. Women did not manipulate him, he manipulated them! Panther tried to squirm and break free of his binds as he watched the vixen with that ever-present terror nagging at him.

"Fun isn't it? Being out of control, unable to move your own body, manipulated and forced into things you don't want or desire to think of. Trust me, I know what that's like. It's hell. Now, imagine what you did to Krystal hrmm? Certainly, her friends and family screwed up. But things could have turned out so much better than they did without your interference. No one batted an eye though at what you did. After all, who could blame her? You were the big suave hero who took her in after McCloud's folly; no one ever truly understanding the mental pain you put Krystal through. I mean; Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. It was all Fox's fault wasn't it?" She said in a mock accusatory tone at the end.

The vixen snorted in derision at the boy before her, for Panther was no man. He was a child playing at being such. Womanizing, manipulative and an abuser. He was scum to her and Sylvara didn't even need to sup upon his mind to know what kind of individual he was. She had seen the type before.

"And while Krystal is very much responsible for her actions. You to have played a part in her downfall. Always whispering in her ear, disparaging her against Fox as you tried so hard to get her into bed and put another notch in your headboard. You manipulated her in such grotesque ways; I don't even want to fathom what disgusting things you've done to other people for your own gain."

The cat was close to filling his pants in terror. He wasn't used to being held accountable for his actions and the fact this woman had him entirely at her mercy, knew his crimes, and could obviously manipulate his body without ever touching him. It alarmed him at the prospect of what she could do.

Sylvara watched on in no small amount of satisfaction as a slow wicked grin crossed her features. Panther's realization of how far into the shit he was in had to be the most delectable sense of schadenfreude she ever felt. "I have to admit, I'm enjoying this far more than I should. Could be because I've just spent several days trying to ensure my daughter's survival while my own people humiliated her and my family. It could also be I want to rip someone's throat out after the fact, and while I can't do that to anyone I know… but, no one on this ship will miss you." Sylvara said with near maniacal glee filling her eyes.

With a deep inhale she continued. "When I first met McCloud, I thought I would do something similar to him. At least until I saw he tried to make up to Krystal before the Titania incident. He begged and pleaded with her, a man who stood taller than any other in the system, prostrated himself before his woman in an effort to make things right. That same woman he loved after making a terrible albeit heartfelt mistake. Krystal came looking for him across the galaxy after she denied him which was In no small part at your urging mind you. But I digress, that is true love Panther; that is what it means to forgive. Yet both of those concepts are as utterly alien to you as I am."

Sylvara chuckled darkly with a wide toothy grin. "Unless it feeds your ego, it has no use. You feel no regrets and anything that's gone wrong isn't your fault. Isn't it? It's always everyone else's fault when the "Perfect" gentlemen fails."

She finally stood and made her way over towards the feline until she could kneel right next to him. Panther tried to scoot away from her in vain as his hands had long since been bound to the wall.

"You were going to attack my daughter on Corneria, then; you attacked her and tried to rape her on that damned cargo ship. Corneria might have a bleeding heart, but I do not Mr. Caroso. I could let you go back with Wolf and Leon to be put in prison and get fucked in the ass by men who are probably twice as hard as you and more than likely packing bigger meat between their legs. But, somehow; I don't think they'll have the stones to do it. After All, these are the same people who let that madman Andross loose instead of putting a shot between his eyes when they had the chance." Sylvara spoke as she reached behind herself and with the sound of metal on leather; she produced a razor-sharp Cerinian dagger. Blue runes that had been etched into the ethereal blade pulsed ominously as Sylvara's voice dripped with venom and outright contempt for the jungle cat.

"You are a monster Caroso, a murderer, an emotional abuser, and an attempted rapist. I have no use you for nor does anyone else in this life." With a firm thrust, the dagger went in with precision. Aimed perfectly so it would go under his ribs and right to the heart. The feline could feel blood well up in his throat as his now destroyed organ and lungs tried to compensate which only served to flood his chest cavity and esophagus with more of the thick vital liquid. The acrid taste of copper filled his mouth and ran free down the sides of his chin as life faded from those eyes. Panic set in as he thrashed and gurgled with death closing in. In the flash of a second, Panther understood what pain was; what torment truly would be. His own deeply hidden regrets began to file past his mind one at a time.

Scant seconds later Panther thrashed and sat up, eyes wide with fright and tail puffed out. The vixen still sat across from him. His eyes trailed over his body and looked around for any sign of a knife before his vision came to rest upon the vixen once more.

That same vixen bore such a look of animosity upon her face it made Caroso's stomach coil up in dread. "That was just a taste of what I can do without even touching you Panther. So, here's my ultimatum. You will return to Corneria, confess to your crimes and sins. Then serve your time and you swear to me that you will never bother Krystal and Fox for the rest of your days should Corneria see fit to let you out. Do that; you will never see me again. However, should you ignore this one chance? I will hunt you down and then I will lock you in a never-ending cycle of your worst fears made manifest until the day your body gives out and grants you the sweet embrace of death. I will make sure that you live a long life of suffering for your actions. Your choice."

Panther was skeptical and with good reason.

Finally, with a gentle release of her hold on the feline, Sylvara finally allowed him to speak.

The jungle cat moved his jaw and grunted before finally speaking."If Panther is so horrible, why give me this chance?"

The vixen's eyeball twitched at the third person speech. _Dear gods, it's even more annoying in person._ Regardless of her thoughts on the male in front of her, she explained: "Because even though you are a piece of trash; you did do one good thing, albeit inadvertently. You kept my daughter from being aimless and gave her an anchor… albeit a rickety ass anchor I'd advise her to get an STD check after touching, but a root in reality no less. I perish the thought of what she could have done had she been left to her own devices." And While Sylvara did want to carry out capital punishment for Caroso's actions; she would not stain her hands in his blood. He was not worth it, but she would do everything to protect both Krystal and Fox. If necessary, she would airlock his ass if Caroso did not take her generous offer. Everyone deserved at least one chance at redemption; this was hers for Caroso. But in her kindness, Sylvara swore she would see to it the cat would never bother her child and her prospective mate.

_Speaking of, I wonder how those two are getting along._

**X-x-x-x**

Both vulpines had been in uncomfortable positions before but what they were experiencing together easily topped the list. Neither knew what to say or how to begin; they had been separated for the better part of almost two years with actions and history that Fox did not know. Krystal however, had seen most of his history involving his work and how much of a beast he had become. Only for him to then revert back to his gentler self. The tension was in the air, but so was the desire to comfort and express themselves to one another. Yet neither of them could muster the courage to look the other in the eye. In the briefing room it had seemed the gap had been bridged, but now it appeared the have become an insurmountable chasm. Where did they start? How for that matter?

For Fox, it was probably the hardest as in that moment he was adrift in his mind. He had felt so sure that things would go naturally but in effect; they went the other way. Krystal was trying to hide her shame and doing so horribly. Fox wanted desperately to comfort her but he felt as though he might only make matters worse. In the courtroom it was the right choice, she needed it, they had even kissed. Fox bit his bottom lip nervously and chewed as he remembered that searing lip lock. It was like they never broke up in the first place and all was right in the universe. Even if it was their last, he would savor that kiss for as long as he lived. It did, however, put things into perspective with how bad things were between them. Although; perhaps not as bad as he thought, considering they weren't shouting and were more behaving like awkward teenagers trying to confess their love for one another. Only instead of love, they were trying to discern a way to issue forth apologies and atone for their dishonor to each other.

Fox felt a sudden jolt of warmth from his left chest pocket, one that spread across his chest and soothed his burgeoning anxiety. The tod placed his paw over it and squeezed the pair of items within gently. With an apprehensive breath, Fox took the plunge.

"Krystal…" His voice was demure, soft-spoken but rife with care and regret, he wanted to her to hear his guilt and that his efforts were genuine.

The vixens triangular ears swiveled towards him. Fox remembered the nights they had been the recipient of many a tender nibble and lick. How she would coo and purr with each attentive caress. The look of bliss and contentment upon her features that assured her that she was as happy as could be with his touch.

Krystal's rich sea green eyes rose up to meet his own deep emerald hues while the whiskers upon her snout twitched with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. Her eyes had since dilated in the dimly lit room and Fox found himself constantly amazed how beautiful Krystal was, how her eyes seemed to glow in the dark. They did so in a way one would typically expect for creatures who could see in darkness, but they were just a step shy of luminescent. As much of a cliche as it could be, they were eyes he could lose himself in for hours. Her alien beauty captivated him from the first time they met, and while they were technically the same species; there were more enough differences for her to obtain that exotic allure.

But his attraction was far greater than that, it went deeper than anything he ever felt or thought he could feel. It was her kindness that he adored, her sweet sophisticated accent that was like a song everytime it graced his ears. No matter how bad things got, she always had a way to pull him out of a bad situation. Just her smile alone in the past had been enough to make a terrible day that much brighter. She was, or had been in his eyes; perfect.

And he had stomped all over that. He had crushed all their hopes and dreams in one fell swoop, and now he had the chance to make it right.

"I'm-"

"I'm sorry," Krystal spoke decisively.

Fox had to stop himself in his tracks and stared at her in surprise. He had not expected her to say it first. He had said sorry in the briefing room, but that was a quick response to the insane situation. Here; it was supposed to be far more meaningful and intimate.

"I'm sorry for everything: for Panther, for Star Wolf, for destroying everything that you worked for… and most of all, I'm sorry for killing you."

Her eyes never tore away from his, the sorrow and regret within was far too real for her to be faking and Fox could feel it within his mind at just how sincere she was.

"And for the link, I pushed on you, I should have known better; neither of us was ready for it and with you not being a Cerinian, that was stupid and selfish of me."

Of all the things she apologized for, the bond should not have been one of them. It was the most beautiful gift he had ever received. How in tune they were with one another, the sensation of someone he cared for and in return cared for him within his mind was nothing short of amazing.

Her lips parted once more to utter more apologies but instead, Fox reached over to her with a paw and gently held her snout closed. Not in an aggressive manner or a way to shut her up, but he wanted her to pause and listen.

"Stop." He whispered quietly. "We both have so much to apologize for. Me most of all. And I know, you'll say my death and return are huge and gods know it messes with me something fierce every time I think about it. It's challenged everything I thought to be true. The simple fact of the matter is, I messed up and then it escalated out of control." He muttered and let his paw tenderly travel alongside her snout. He could feel her tense at first from his touch and he expected her to flinch and pull away, only to his muted joy that she remained close and even nuzzled into his paw in a welcome fashion. The sudden feel of her delicate features, the soft sweetness of her fur and mere presence made Fox far more comfortable with himself than he had been in a long time.

"I want to scream and yell at you, to shout and cry why must I always lose in the end? No matter how hard I try it never goes anywhere. Even my temporary success bit me in the ass. But; I know it won't get me anywhere Krystal, all it will do is cause both of us more pain and we will get nowhere. There is only one thing I really want to do right and then ask you something else afterwards."

The tod was fearful, worried she would not hear his reasons, but she had to understand; to know why he did what he did. Yes, it was wrong, he wasn't going to try and say what he did was right. Not anymore.

"I just want you to know why I did it. I don't want you to feel like I'm justifying what I did. But please, hear me out?"

Krystal at first wanted to flat out deny his words, she didn't want to relive it. Nor did she want to experience the pain or have any flare-ups of her pride. But, for his sake and her own, she needed to better understand what went on in his head that day. While it wasn't pertinent anymore, it was a key that might unlock a mutual bridge between them. When Fox touched her it had shocked her at first, that he would so boldly go for physical touch after their spontaneous event out in the courtroom… this was new, different. Fox was rarely so assertive back in Lylat.

_He has changed..._

Instead of flinching away and risking not only hurting Fox but herself emotionally in the process; Krystal gripped his paw that lay on the side of her snout and squeezed. With a nod of her head; she gave him the go ahead. She wanted this as bad as he did and it was evident by the grateful if shame ridden smile upon his lips.

"Thank you… I've lost so much Krystal, not as much as you have. You lost an entire world, your family, or so we thought. You have a mother again, one who loves you with all her might. I don't have that, nor do I have a father. I lost them both when I was a kid. My mother Vixy at seven due to a car bomb. I watched on helplessly as my own mom was torn apart before my very own two eyes in a ball of fire and shrapnel."

Tears had begun streaming down his cheeks halfway through as he relived the horrible memories and expressed his deepest emotions to her. Never had Krystal witnessed Fox so emotionally. He was normally very guarded and locked up tighter than a miser's purse. It certainly helped her to understand his life as she relived the very events he described across their mental link. She could smell the charred flesh of his mother, the stink of sulfur and carbon as a young Fox cried out in agony and wondered what just happened.

"All because Andross was obsessed with her; he wanted Vixy all to himself and tried to remove my father in the process. There are times where I can still smell the burnt fur and flesh and feel the shockwave from the blast. I went to therapy for years but It's a wound that's never fully healed." Fox choked up quietly as he talked about one of the most influential moments of his life, something he rarely ever did, even with Peppy. The pain in his heart was immense and it threatened to boil over into inconsolable sorrow as he exposed every single raw emotion to Krystal.

Despite it all, he continued. "I lost my father James at sixteen, betrayal from Pigma Dengar who was like an uncle to me and a family friend. You remember him from the Aparoid Invasion I'm sure."

Krystal shivered in disgust at the mention of that nasty pig. The scene shifted to a sudden knock of a door and a bandaged Peppy in a wheelchair with two military officers on either side. The trio brought only terrible news about his father. The deep sense of loss and betrayal Fox felt quickly assailed her with the weight of realization that he was was the only McCloud left. Slowly over time; something grew and fostered within his heart. A feeling unlike anything else Krystal ever experienced and so overwhelmingly powerful that it dwarfed her drive for vengeance. Krystal had equated her desire for revenge against Fox like that of a volcano and thought it all-encompassing. But compared to Fox's outright rage which burned brighter than any star she happened upon… Krystal was a small firecracker by comparison.

His thirst for revenge had been a singular driving force for most of his life. Even after Andross's defeat he still felt compelled and vengeful; except it wasn't directed at Andross anymore, it had been directed at criminals at large. For those following 8 years Fox threw himself into his work, any hint of war or mass destruction was ruthlessly stamped out. She watched as he gave everything he had to the detriment of his own well being to ensure Lylat would not suffer another all-out war.

That was what had drawn her into Fox once she got to know him. Beyond the dashing features, his can-do attitude and desire to fight for justice. He wanted to protect people. Keep them safe and ensure no one would be harmed like he was ever again. Ultimately, he would fail as his task was an insurmountable one. However, it was the purpose and drive that counted.

Krystal reflected back on those thoughts and realized one thing. Cerinian warriors lived long lives trying to attain what Fox had done almost naturally. To attain balance within oneself and live a life of constant vigil against things that crept within the dark. It was what separated Fox from other mercs and for a man whose business was war and death; Fox was, and had always been incredibly good and just. He never let himself be compromised in any shape or form during a job. With one glaring exception, to which Fox went into with great detail and trepidation.

"Then, there's you. The one time I had the means to protect someone directly and I panicked like an idiot. I was terrified of losing someone I love as I do you. I lost everyone else that was close to me like that. And before you bring up Falco and company, I don't have any romantic drive towards them. They're family. But you, for the first time in my life I saw a future with someone else. Not a picket fence in some shitty suburb somewhere, but a future I could be proud of with the most amazing woman at my side." His head fell once more as he tried to muster up the courage to continue, his heart hammered away within his chest and was slowly convinced it would explode at the rate things were going. But Fox knew he needed to admit to his faults and failures. He wronged the woman who still held his heart.

"But my fear got the better of me and things flew out of control. You were… are the most precious thing in my life and I would raise worlds for you. That's how much I love you. I would level all of Lylat in an effort to keep you safe. Because of the mere thought of you cold and lifeless. The idea of you being taken from this life and me? It terrified me more than anything. An' the worst part of all this? I could have prevented if I had just stopped for five seconds and thought it over."

His powerful green eyes rose to meet hers once more. He spoke with resolution and power, a firm hand that she knew all too well when he spoke nothing but truths to the team, and especially her. This was the Fox she fell in love with. She knew Fox would never do such horrific things as level a star system, it wasn't in his nature, but the idea that he would burn whole worlds to the ground to protect what he loved most… it certainly had its romantic appeal and it did draw on her warrior nature. The fact that he even admitted to still loving her and the lengths he'd go, it was breathtaking.

"That's why I'm sorry. Because I failed you in every regard; I lost faith and respect in you. I tried to put you up on a mantlepiece like some sort of fucking trophy when I know you're more than that."

Krystal could feel his own self-loathing radiating off him at the mere thought of treating her as such. It spoke volumes of his regrets and how shitty he felt. In the end, it made her realize something. Fox was harder on himself than she ever could be. She could yell and scream at him all day long but Fox would outdo her in every respect. Because that's the kind of man he was. He took his personal failures the hardest and would beat himself into the ground. It was a great source of strength and a glaring weakness. One she had shored up when he fell into the depths of his own self-admonishment. But now, Fox was standing on his own and it was a struggle. It was no easy thing to face your inner demons and Krystal knew that all too well.

In spite of everything, Krystal understood his reasons and they were damn good ones. She couldn't fault him for trying to protect her, and while his actions did offend her and everything that the cobalt vixen stood for. Krystal could no longer hold it against him, especially with how utterly dejected he appeared. She could feel the pain in his heart but also a tiny bit of relief as he got everything off his chest. But now he was far more terrified than ever before. Would she refuse him just as she did over Katina? Would his words fall upon deaf ears and she explode at him for his foolish decision? Or in his greatest hope, would she accept his apology and forgive him?

Krystal digested Fox's words for a good long while. The azure vixen sat there with a thoughtful gaze upon her features as the tod watched on with apprehension. Terrified of how things would go.

Her voice would finally break the tension that felt stifling to the reynard across from her.

"If you wanted to protect me just like you said; we would have been better off at each other's side. You knew there were people that would likely want to hurt me out there, where else could I be safe than with you?'

Fox's ears wilted at the combination of accusation and question as his mood became even more downcast.

"I lost my homeworld and until recently I thought I was the last of my kind. My laws dictated that I take revenge upon you for your slight against me… but I took it too far."

She sighed angrily and then looked up to the tod. "When we met on Sauria I was convinced that you were the one after you took me in so selflessly, gave me a home and purpose. You gave me a second chance at life, others would have tried to abuse me, use me, or gods only know what else. But not you, you didn't even think to work your way into my pants. Your first thought was to rush to someone you saw who needed help without a second that. Even if you did stare at my chest a bit in my old outfit." Krystal smirked as Fox turned his head nervously to avoid eye contact, muttering something about how she looked like an angel in that crystal all those years ago. She wasn't offended by it at all; in fact, his boyish charms regarding her beauty had been one of the things that attracted her to him. Not like that bore Falco who salivated over her the first few weeks before Fox and Katt both put him in his place.

She intentionally spoke with mild aggression, but not to hurt him or worry him. Krystal was not distraught, but deadly serious in her demeanor. She wanted Fox to understand just all that she had been through. However, Krystal also knew she was not free from blame in the whole ordeal. Her own desire for revenge coupled with Panther's influence had led her down a dark path and led her to reprehensible acts. The events of Katina kept rearing in her head; how he got on his knees before all of Star Wolf and Star Fox, on an open channel and begged forgiveness all the while Leon, Panther, and then herself mocked him. The disgust she felt in that moment was wholesale. Fox had wanted to make things right long before she did, and Krystal had kicked the tod when he was down. The memories of Katina playing over in her head repeatedly which made her cringe mentally at herself for what a rotten bitch she had been.

"I was wrong and horrible to you. I didn't even give you a second chance to make up for it. I owed you so much and I didn't even think to give you the opportunity. All I did was lash out and act like a slighted little girl."

Fox's head was still low and his mood dour, but there was hope in his eyes and she could feel it across their bond. All these words that flowed forth made her reflect on the toll her actions exacted on Fox. Krystal knew Fox was in the wrong at the start, but she made it ten times worse. If she had accepted Fox's efforts way back before Titania, the events that followed would have never happened. Yet still, Krystal found the courage to persevere and make her emotions known despite her shame. The cobalt vixen knew what lay within and why she had endured all this. It was time for her to admit it to herself, and him what they knew to be true.

"The truth of the matter is Fox; I love you too, and I hope everything I've been through proves that, from coming to look for you, to standing on trial before my own people. I bore all of this for you. No one else but you. I am sorry for making you suffer as I did."

Fox listened to her as she spoke and took it all in. His paws lay at rest upon his knees as he sat. Those ears swiveled around and listened closely until finally, she stopped. Fox wanted to believe her but there were so many questions he wanted the answers to before it went forward.

"Why?" he uttered quietly. "Why now? What changed? You wouldn't even talk to me afterwards until Katina and all those… stunts you and Panther pulled." It wasn't that Fox wasn't wanting to believe her, it was the fact he was still distrustful after all this time. There was a lot riding on both of them at the current stage of their lives, and all it would take was the wrong push to send them farther away from each other than they'd ever been.

Krystal couldn't help but blanch at Fox's words. She didn't want to think of said antics… It's something she desperately wanted to forget. The open flirting back and forth between her and Panther was done intentionally to his detriment. The sweet and even sometimes lewd things they would say to one another. Back then, it had been a game; something to really shove into Fox's face and hurt him. Only now did she realize just how far those claws went into Fox's heart and the sucking wound she had left behind. The look on Fox's face told just how it pained him. It was painfully clear that those emotional scars ran deep. Wounds like that wouldn't heal right away; It would take careful time and work… something she was beginning to wonder if it would be too much even for her. Her wells of compassion had long since run dry. Yet despite all of this, she soldiered on.

"It was back on the Great Fox… when you left it to me. I went on board to gather your things. There are abilities I've been keeping secret from you, my psionics go deeper than just empathy, telepathy and the bond we share."

Fox turned his head to her skeptically; "Go on. I know Sylvara and the other Cerinians have other abilities."

Of course, he did, her mother and Fox had been in contact for almost a full year and some change. Regardless, Krystal nodded to him and continued. "I and many other Cerinians can hear what are called echoes, powerful emotions that are buried and imprinted deep within a place, thing, or in this case, The Great Fox. I felt everything, the love and care, the comradery and familial bond… and your love. Your pains and regrets, the sorrow you felt and the care you still had for me in spite of everything. Krystal looked down at her knees as her tail coiled nervously about her feet. "I was an idiot to not give you a second chance. At the very least I could have heard your reasons. Your love and care ran deeper than I ever imagined and for that, I burned you."

The tod listened closely to her words while his tail swayed left and then right. "Both of us were wrong." He said quietly. "I kicked you out, and then you… well, we know what you did and what I did; the point is we're supposed to be trying to move past this aren't we?" He asked, voice laden with concern.

"We are… and I think we're going in circles."

Fox shook his head. "No, we've gotten some things off our chest that needed to be said… also, if you want to cuss me out, go for it. I deserve it."

She merely smiled faintly at his words. "If I were going to Fox, I would have done it already. You didn't deserve anything of what I did to you-"

"Stop, just stop." He mutters quietly to Krystal's surprise.

"I deserved everything I had coming to me, I turned my back on you, I threw you out like one of Falco's cheap dates. This doesn't feel right to me." He says with closed eyes with paws at rest on both arms of his flight jacket.

"You shouldn't have to apologize for what I started. This is all my fault." Fox uttered.

Once more Krystal shook her head, he was trying to shoulder the burden as he always did; Fox thought her perfect and he knew better. He was still trying to protect her for some reason and he was not forthcoming with the why. Did he not want to taint his image of her? To admit she was capable of faults just as he was? Or was it something more? A problem that he couldn't even discuss with her. Her tail tip flicked against her booted feet as her eyes once more returned to Fox.

"Fox? Can I come in?"

His tail twitched silently at her question. She was concerned and he could feel it. Krystal was asking permission to enter his mind fully and engage their bond intimately. He wanted nothing more than to feel her that way again. To experience the gentle caress of their consciousness mingling together and becoming lost in one another as they had in the briefing room before. But just like talking with Krystal, he wasn't entirely ready for that quite yet.

"No, Krystal. Not this time."

Krystal became downtrodden at the denial. She wanted to show Fox how much she wanted to fix what was broken. How could he not see it? Did he not want to repair the damage done? Whatever it was, Fox was keeping a secret, one he did not want her finding out.

_Well, if you don't want to share Fox; I guess I'll leave you alone for now. If you want to talk… just call for me. Okay?_

Fox gulped and his throat bobbed as he turned back to Krystal.

_I will, promise. And Krystal, just give me time, okay? A lot has happened these last few days and I need time to think and adjust._

Krystal gave him a placating smile, though it was a genuine one. She could understand why. His guilt was likely riding him like a horse and he was trying everything to stave it off by himself. She wanted to tell him he wasn't alone anymore and that she was back for good if he would have her. In the end, she knew Fox needed his space. He needed to formulate his thoughts and plan out his next action.

_Alright, Fox. I won't be far.  
_

With that, Krystal stood and smiled to Fox who tentatively returned it. She could see the apprehension in his eyes. There was something bothering him and Krystal wished he would talk about it. She couldn't force the issue however and soon turned about to walk through the doorway and into the hall.

_Well, we didn't fight. So there's that._

"Krys?" The vixen nearly leaped at her old nickname from the team.

"Uh, yes Fox?"

"You look amazing by the way. The long hair, it works for you."

She gave him an honest smile in response with a bob of her head as a gentle blush coursed beneath her cheek fluff. "You're not looking half bad either Fox, need a bit of a trim… though, I'm kind of digging the rugged merc look." The vixen realized all too late that she fell so easily into her flirting ways with Fox and flushed. "S-sorry, I didn't-"

"It's okay, old habits and all... I still remember Sauria fondly." He said as the tod returned her smile with equal warmth for the first time in what felt like an eternity. "We'll talk again soon. I promise."

Krystal's heart thumped within her bosom. His winning smile and the mention of their mission to Sauria during the Aparoid invasion. The memory of how he blushed and panicked when Tricky mentioned a honeymoon. Much joy and laughter had been had that day and that warm memory completed by his smile which held so much care did worlds to ease the tension that had been between them. It reassured her that not all had been lost. Fox still remembered the good times and maybe, just maybe, everything would work out.

It was about this time Fox coughed to get her attention. "Uhm, Krys, you're staring." And he was right, Krystal had that dreamy look in her eyes whenever they interacted when they first met. It was a look of curiosity and budding hunger. It made his tail swish and heart pound against his ribs. To see her look at him that way once more made his palms sweaty and his old boyish charms reappear in a big way. When she didn't respond right away he spoke a bit louder and that seemed to startle her out of her little daydream.

"Oh, oh! I'm sorry uhm… uh… my mind went somewhere else." The soft snowy fur of her cheeks went a deep shade of red as she shuffled nervously down the hall before turning around and outright bolting away.

With a shake of his head, Fox watched her go until she was out of sight and then slid back into his room. The door shut with a hiss as he leaned against the nearby wall and slipped down onto his backside with chest pressed to his knees.

_I'm not good enough for her. Even after everything I did, she still came back for me. There has to be something I can do to make it up to her!_

Thet tod frowned at his thoughts: Why was he hesitating? What did he have to lose? All he had to do was forgive her and let her forgive him and then all would be right between them, or, at least the beginnings of it would be.

_But why doesn't it feel right? She says she still loves me and it's obvious that we care for each other, but then why do I have this nagging feeling in my heart everytime I want to go to her?_

The reynard sighed quietly in frustration before the room began to glow a potent emerald green. Fox's eyes lifted up and gazed around his room for the source of it only for his own hues to come and rest upon Ceria's Mercy within its scabbard. The runed leather sheath was pulsating with an ethereal glow that filled the room wall to wall and cast long unnerving shadows about the furniture and on the walls.

_Okay, it's never done that before…_

Fox cautiously approached the blade on his bed as it thrummed with life and energy the likes of which he'd never experienced before. With no small amount of apprehension, Fox wrapped his fingers around the handle of the blade. Why? He had no clue, no rhyme or reason but something in the room was compelling him to do so. As soon as his fingers sealed around the grip; something hit him like a closed circuit; Fox felt a warmth rush up his arm as his mind's eye opened wider than ever before. Time and space distorted around him as the room melted away and stars surrounded him. For a quick second, he was reminded of a Krazoa teleport but it was far from like that, he had no sense of movement or warping; but that he was more an observer. Stars and planets flew passed until a singular system came into a view, a beautiful yellow sun with several worlds, one of which was in that perfect spot to support life.

The tod's head tilted as the planet seemed to have a rich gorgeous royal purple atmosphere, beautiful emerald oceans with few major continents and islands scattered throughout. From his point of view, he could see mountains, lakes, rivers, and beautiful lush plains and near endless forests. It was a magnificent planet. One of which he almost recognized right away; the Cerinian homeworld. Fox's breath was taken away at just how pristine it was until it began to shift; suddenly, his ears were filled with the screams of untold millions crying out in agony as the once immaculate world began to wither and die before his very eyes. The dense forests and plains quite literally seemed to melt and the seas became a disgusting dingy yellow. Fox felt a stab in his chest that caused him to double over in piercing agony as though his heart were being ripped out while he shared in the dying worlds extinction event… and yet; hope remained. Through pained blurry eyes, Fox saw tens of dozens, perhaps hundreds of ships flee the surface and take off into various directions. It was an evacuation that was not at all organized but a desperate attempt to flee and escape their doom.

While he felt mild relief fill him; it was abruptly slammed into the ground as his heart heaved and body fell ill. Fox's stomach churned as though he were poisoned and inhaling rancid contaminated air as the screams of the tortured dead assaulted his mind. Each one clamored for the one who had murdered them and sought retribution for the sins of another. A desire for peace that would not come as they were forced to experience death as if on some godforsaken permanent cycle of rewind and fast forward.

Fox could scarcely bear the weight as coughed and wretched with his besieged mind slowly buckling under the pressure.

 _Up my boy! Fight on!_ A voice yelled at him. It was a sound he had not heard since his sixteenth year of life. _Never give up Fox, trust your instincts!_

"D-dad?" He muttered and shook his head looking around.

_You've come this far Fox; you've made your mistakes but now's your chance. Save them! Show Krystal how far you're willing to go for her!_

Was it a trick? Did he lose his marbles? Or was the blade influencing him in some manner? Yet for all his worries of deceit; just hearing his father's voice encouraged Fox and on shaky legs, he stood followed by a groan as the room began to spin in dizzying patterns.

_My baby boy; don't worry Fox. We're with you always. I know you're hurting and so is she. But those souls need your help. You and Krystal can bring peace to them._

"Mom?!" Fox whipped his head around and almost sent himself tumbling in a desperate search to focus on the sing-song voice of his mother. The sound of both his parents made Fox's heart thunder. All he desired to do was see them, to at least hug them and apologize for the shame he brought down upon their name.

_It's alright, we understand Fox; you don't need to ask forgiveness for what you already regret. Just do what a McCloud does best, kick the problem in the teeth, grab it by the horns and fix it._

There was a sound of a gentle slap and a playful "ow!" that echoed out.

_What your father means to say, Fox, is go forward with purpose, your solution lies on her homeworld. If there is anything that can do what you want, it's there.  
_

"I-I will…" Fox felt an immense heat fill his chest, as though he were receiving a hug from not one, but both parents who were doing their utmost to comfort their child. For several long minutes that Fox wished that his current state of being would never end. The wailing screams were drowned out by the warmth and love that welled deep inside.

Fox shook his head and cupped the side with a deep inhale while his other paw which still held the sword tightly. Fox had a mission now and he couldn't wait. A broad confident smile spread across his lips as he knew exactly what he had to do. It was a stupid and foolish plan that would likely kill him. But damned if it wasn't something that would prove his love and how far he would go for Krystal.

In his usual manner, Fox shouldered a burden that he did not need to. All he needed to do was talk to Krystal and explain to her what he had planned.

Unfortunately, those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.


	12. Desolation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a warning, there is some disturbing imagery ahead in this chapter. You'll know it when you see it.

**x-x-x-x**

**Music recommendation: Acoustic Lab - The Sky Beneath You**

**x-x-x-x**

The Dark void of deep space. An empty vast wasteland that held only a few habitable worlds across numerous systems. It was shocking to Fox how devoid of life the systems outside of Lylat were, as Lylat itself had been blessed with many habitable worlds. Life was a strange and chaotic thing in almost all respects. The mere act of life itself existing, to the emotional aspects of an individual. Fox's own years had taken him from the top of mountains in rapturous joy, to the bleakest pits of despair. He had dealt with this truth all his life, from age seven and onwards his entire existence had been one great trail of melancholy with very few shining moments of glee.

Even with total victory achieved, life had continued as a never-ending war against the forces of corruption and evil. And while there were more than a few scholarly types who would argue the subjective nature of evil; Fox had stared into the eyes of total madness and saw in it everything that sentient beings were capable of if left without a guiding hand or rules… But there was the flip side to it, one which was almost a total unknown to Fox.

Pure good. It was such a massive paradigm shift to Fox with the years of crawling through dirt and mud which had left him drained and tarnished. Never did Fox view himself as a hero, he only did what he thought was right which was contradicted by his thirst for vengeance against the mad ape for the lives of his parents. It had consumed him for years and long after the bastard was thought to be dead. Even after the war was won the vultures had come for what was left of him and offered him rewards only told of in action movies. Fame, glory, and a veritable sea of women as he became the most sought-after man in Lylat for all sorts of inane nonsense.

Yet he stayed away from all of that and never drifted from his path of the protector. It was a cold and isolated path for who could do a better job than him? Corneria fumbled everytime an invader showed up and then proceeded to get curbed stomped six ways to Sunday. Fox always had Lylats best interest at heart. Organized crime, pirates, even politicians stood little chance before his withering onslaught for justice. But moreover, it was Sauria that had changed him.

It was there he found what a being of pure righteousness looked like. Though the Krazoa judged him pure of heart, Fox felt anything but. The number of bodies that lay at his feet was staggering and compared to Krystal who was an innocent and a victim of an atrocity. She was the one who was pure of heart in his eyes. Every step of the way he felt her presence, concern, and warmth in the back of his mind as he struggled through every trial; surmounted every challenge. When he rested, he often dreamed of her and they would talk, often finding that they had much in common. By the time he arrived at Krazoa palace to free her, Fox was convinced she was the woman of his dreams, someone who understood his fight better than any of his friends and family ever could. Honor and duty were her by words, action was her tool.

Their first meeting outside of the crystal prison had been an amazing experience that Fox would retell at any opportunity, well; once he had. The memory was still fresh as if it had just happened yesterday. The giant glittering gem had shattered with Krystal nearly plummeting to an early grave atop Krazoa palace. Fox had rushed to Krystal's aid with her staff in hand and caught the vixen mid-drop, then, hauled her up and over the ledge and inadvertently locked eyes with the most gorgeous female he had ever seen. He remembered how sublime her sea green hues were, the strength within and her vivacious nature shining through even in dire straights. Her staff had been the connection to her for his entire mission and Fox felt he already knew her as she did him. The extent of which would become apparent over the next few months and years leading right up to the Anglar Blitz.

Where it all went to hell.

Krystal to him had been pure, a veritable goddess of beauty, limitless kindness, and righteous fury when unleashed upon those who harmed the innocent… and that's what hurt the most. It was in the cockpit of his Arwing that Fox understood what Krystal had been trying to get at when she said Andross's intentions were pure.

She wasn't talking about what came afterwards. It's what came before that had been what she was getting at. Andross had been a doctor, and a brilliant one at that, he had started off with beneficial research and then it went wild and divergent into unacceptable areas where the scourge of a hundred worlds was born. Somewhere, he had lost his way. Andross's desire for power and knowledge consumed the crazed ape and led to untold trillions losing their lives in systems-wide warfare the likes of which had never been seen. Whole worlds had burned, societies destroyed, with races wiped out from existence.

It was that understanding that led Fox to tears as he drifted among the stars.

He had tainted someone so pristine as Krystal with his fear and cowardice. Fox took the most amazing woman he had ever known and did exactly what Andross had done to her. Robbed her of home and hearth, took away the ones she called family. While Fox did not destroy her homeworld, he did destroy her life. All in a selfish drive to protect the woman his heartbeat for. Inadvertently; he had tried to put her atop a mantlepiece like she were some fragile piece of pottery and Fox knew better than that. All these thoughts came to the fore as he realized just what kind of damage he had done, and it left him heaving in tears. Fox destroyed himself daily thinking about it time and time again, now; the hurt was like a nova bomb detonating within his chest. The sheer might of it was almost unbearable as all the context and clues fell into place. Those actions were enough to convince himself that he deserved to be damned to eternal torment. But he would not let Krystal's story end, not as it was. In that vast expanse of space; Fox vowed that he would give her the home she deserved, even if it was at great cost to himself.

Though he felt himself a coward, he would do everything in his power to see that Krystal had the life she was rightfully owed. With, or without him.

Fox was bound and determined to see this madness to its end. He felt he had no other options after all he had done to Krystal, he did not have the nerve nor did he feel like he deserved her forgiveness. Not yet. Fox thought that he could not face Krystal again until he was cleansed of his own bleak weakness, and if that meant he had to hold off their reunion for just a little longer then so be it. Fox knew it would hurt them both, but if this was the price for peace and being able to love the gorgeous vixen without any stoppages… then he would pay it a thousand times.

He only hoped that she would wait for him, and it was a foolish desire founded in the stupidity of his actions.

With a distraught sigh, Fox wiped his sleeve across his eyes as the tears began to dry up before he reached into his left chest pocket to produce his father's aviators. The reynard stared long and hard at the black sunglasses before slipping them over his snout to conceal his rich verdant hues. Just behind the navcom within his ship was the picture of Krystal, the image seared and torn from his crash on Titania. His heart ached and part of him desperately wished to return to the Mensharr and abandon his fool's errand.

Yet he could not, for there was a great compulsion that pushed Fox, a monumental urging to make for Cerinia with all haste. His instincts screamed at him that all would be solved on that dead world. Whether or not his instincts were right was up in the air, but it was a risk he would take not just for his own sake, but to save the souls of those trapped on that forsaken rock.

Yes, his motivations were selfish, but in that self-serving desire was the heart of a hero whose heart burned with want to do the just and honorable thing, but also a drive to heal a love that he had broken so long ago. He was the very embodiment of contradiction.

With his resolve locked in and settled, Fox prepared for the long lonely flight to Cerinia. He spoke one powerful phrase that he hoped Krystal could hear and poured everything that he was and sent it across their mental bond before closing himself behind the iron wall of his will. For if she spoke to him, Fox knew he would cave and go running back to her full stop.

_A um nakx 0ei ucnu0j, Krystal._

Fox silently thanked Sylvara across their own shared link for teaching him how to speak their language, that had been a linguistic journey and of itself. He sighed quietly and tapped his fingers on the armrests before leaning back fully to rest. Cerinia was still days out and he had nothing but time to think.

And to dream.

The tod's eyes opened slowly as he took in the intimate surroundings, Fox found himself back on the Great Fox. His old home. So many things that just felt right and pristine, but there were also small inconsistencies that stuck out like sore thumbs. Fox could still hear the gentle hum of plasma engines, and the overall feeling of the place was that of comfort and comradery. The potent amount of nostalgia coupled with the creaks and groans of metal made him experience a sense of belonging he'd not felt in an age. However, what was different were the pictures that lined the walls. Photographs of him and Krystal together, happy, smiling and just overall looking like the typical blissful couple. Only there was a new addition to the mix. In Krystal's arms, there was a little blue bundle of fluff with eyes just like his. Blue and white fur of his mother while in the pattern that was almost identical to his own.

The kit was the splitting image of Fox and as he got up to view the nearest picture, the door to the room opened and in walked his blue angel. A pair of pants that reached to her ankles in white and a deep ocean blue shirt that showed off her still spectacular figure. She was far more voluptuous than before and It was obvious Krystal had been pregnant and carried it well. Her form, despite the added weight, was still fit with muscles on show across her belly, thick firm thighs and a backside that was more pronounced which coupled with her ample chest was quite a sight to behold. Yet for all that, her eyes are still what drew him. The most enchanting aquamarine visage that he had dreamed of for almost two years since their separation. Fox felt his heart hammer in his chest at the radiant beauty of Krystal with a child… _their_ child, in her arms.

_A mother… She's a mother._

Embraced by Krystal was a bundle of absolutely adorable fluff. Their son, the little fox kit was curled up within his mother's embrace sound asleep.

Fox found himself speechless as Krystal turned and beamed brightly to him only to whisper to him across their mental bond, her rich soothing voice echoed throughout his consciousness.

_I wasn't expecting you to be awake darling, I know that last mission took a lot out of you. I was just about to put Marcus to bed so we can go on our date. Katt and Falco are going to watch over him while we're out._

_Marcus…_ Fox thought, a good name. It was a strong name.

He approached the two shakily, full of nerves until he stood before his mate and their child. The two were beyond beautiful in his eyes.

 _Fox, dove? What's wrong?_ Came Krystal's response upon seeing him so anxious and morose.

_N-Nothing angel. I'm so very happy to see you, and him._

The vixen gave a quiet smile as she leaned over to bump her nose against his and rub them together sweetly before the dream paused and all went silent, as though someone had flipped a switch.

Fox felt a surge of rage careen through his body at his brain being altered and something truly wonderful that brought him comfort halted in its tracks. "What?! Why now?!" Fox yelled, seeing Krystal and their child still as statues. To be robbed of such a wonderful dream made him want to lash out and scream. Just once couldn't he have something good?! The tod felt his hackles arch up and fur on the back of his neck raise high as his furious emerald eyes turned about and were greeted by Ceria who appeared from seemingly nothing. Her eyes issued forth a contemptuous and withering stare.

Yet Fox did not wilt away, instead, he delivered his own stare filled to the brim with ire.

"You just can't leave me alone can you?!" He snapped, his teeth bared and hackles high.

Ceria bore her teeth as she raised a single palm up with nary a word spoken. Suddenly, Ceria's Mercy appeared within his palm as if to answer a summons. He bore the blade against the one that created it, fangs exposed as the world around them crackled with jagged blood red edges forming in the walls while the very scenery rumbled and shook with Fox's unshackled rage.

The white vixen waved a palm at Fox followed by a balling of a fist as if she were yanking a chain; only for her look of disgust to turn over into confusion, and then alarm. Again she tried to pull and Fox felt a gentle tug at his palm as Ceria tried to dislodge the sword from his grip. Yet it did not respond to its creator's call, instead, it lodged itself firmly within Fox's hand.

Fox would not suffer another invasion into his head, he had enough of being manipulated, used and tossed aside.

"This is my mind, do you hear me?! Mine! You are not welcome here!" He bellowed at the Cerinian goddess. There was a distinct lack of cowardice present in Fox, as he had found his courage once more. That thick vulpine tail was puffed out with fangs exposed and ready for blood.

"You know where I am going, and what I intend to do. If that's not good enough for you Ceria, then tough shit!" Spat Fox. "Now leave me alone and let me have this one good thing, even if it is a farce. Let me dream… let me have this… I know the horrors that await me on Cerinia and I know what I will face. I need this..." His vitriol turned to a pleading in such a swift change of demeanor that it nearly caused Ceria whiplash.

The vixen saw the world within his head was crumbling under Fox's animosity; the threat of invasion and hostility had set off his defenses and with his mind's eye as open as it was. Fox could be a potent psionic in his own right once he was trained. Ceria was worried that she could very well break Fox from the intrusion; and with that concern at the forefront, the snowy vixen withdrew. Even if it was brief, Ceria saw his plan and the sword had disobeyed her call… which meant Fox had the swords blessing. A portion of herself within the blade wanted Fox to go there and undo what she could not…

Ceria was unsettled, what hidden power did Fox have that a god could not use to heal a world? What did the sword know that no one else did? Answers that would not easily be forthcoming.

_Perhaps an old friend may have the answers._

Fox watched the ghostly vixen fade from view and the cracks around him sealed up as the defenses were restored. No longer under siege; the dream resumed and the sword faded from his grip. He would remain in a deep meditative state for several days before finally being awoken by the ships nav-computer informing him that he had arrived within the Ceria System.

The ship jostled and thrummed as warp space around him collapsed and spat Fox out on the very edge. Even as far out as he was; Fox felt **wrong**. An act of untold horror had defiled this system and Fox was heading right to the center of it. Slowly his arwing made progress deeper into the star system. It's blue sun glowing bright and hot across several worlds. A large purple gas giant with rings filled to the brim with debris and dust; sun blasted spheres that had no life upon them but were scorched from one side and frozen on the other, not a single sign of atmosphere or anything. For an hour Fox flew through the system until he finally arrived at what he knew to be his destination for the russet tod felt in his heart.

Both emerald eyes gazed out into the abyss and beheld a destroyed world, vile yellow seas, barren mountains, and plains where vast forests had once been. Great horrific storms churned over the surface as they spewed down polluted rain carried from those same oceans… worse still; Fox felt his hackles on his neck rise up as he could feel a call, not of warmth and welcome. But of death and torment. He could hear the cry of millions who died on that world and every fiber of his being screamed at him to turn around and never come back. Though Fox wanted to, he could not comply with that demand. He was here on a mission and with a heavy heart, and a lead weight that had settled in the pit of his stomach, Fox brought his arwing down and into the Cerinian atmosphere.

The sensation of countless eyes watching his every move filled his entire being, yet there were no signs of anything living. Just echoes, death, and a sea of dead bodies with their vengeful wraiths. The air inside the arwing was stifling, almost suffocating as Fox's heart hammered in against his chest in anxiety. The walls seemed to be closer than ever before with the growing apprehension that was threatening to overwhelm him as the Arwing descended through murky brown skies. The soft blue glow of the dash ticking down in thousands of meters until he finally broke cloud clover over an empty field below.

 _They know I'm here._ He thought quietly to himself.

Fox's eyes trailed over the corpse world and felt his heart sink further; whatever Andross had unleashed upon Cerinia caused total devastation on the echo system and its people. Fox had no idea what he was doing here; what "Plan" he had was essentially come here and hope for the best. A sort of leap of faith that his instincts and the sword he carried would lead him where he needed to be.

Anxiety was rife within his heart and yet Fox was burning with conviction in the depths of those bright jade orbs. His journey took him across the largest continent until finally over the horizon he glimpsed what he hoped for.

A city. A very dead and dilapidated city. From afar it looked like a corpse of some monstrous creature, fallen towers, crippled structures and half risen skyscrapers missing their upper floors with their girders and various skeletal interiors exposed. Fox had seen enough bombarded cities to know what it was like, and what disturbed him the most was who knew how many bodies lay within. Yet Fox was undeterred and soon found himself on the very outskirts of that city. With the skids deployed he flew low and arched the nose just enough so that the rear would touchdown followed by the front as his arwing came to rest. The engine wound down and all his systems were turned off.

It was now or never. In the seat of his arwing, Fox donned the specialty survival gear he brought with him. it contained a fully equipped deep forest green Nuclear-Biohazard-Chemical suit with a pressure gauge upon his wrist; a sealed mask filtration system that would allow him to take whatever toxic air was on the planet and turn it into breathable oxygen. Overall, the NBC gear was capable of keeping out the worst contaminants any environment, natural or otherwise. Fox certainly hoped that whatever contagion was out there would not make it through his mask. The piece of equipment in question fit snugly to his snout with two large eye holes covered in a polymer that were sealed up tight that allowed for ample forwards field of view. Two small cylindrical filters stuck out from either side of his snout and the suit itself was hermetically sealed at the wrist and ankles. Fox was grateful that penetrating the suit was no simple feat and would take an incredibly sharp object to rip through the suits covering.

With the pressure gauge on his wrist checked and everything in place, Fox placed Ceria's Mercy upon his hip with a belt loop and slung his blaster rifle across his back. A single press of a button and the hiss of hydraulics lifted the ships glass cover over his head and into the exposed dead air.

A muted world greeted him. Not even the sound of wind rippled his suit, just cold, still, lifelessness. To Fox, everything he felt was wholly unnatural and that voice at the forefront of his consciousness never stopped screaming at him to flee from this hell made a reality. Fox withdrew a Geiger counter from within his pack and activated it, leaving it on and securely nestled within a buckle upon his right waist. If he ran into any pockets of radiation, the sensor would warn him. The Auburn vulpine was unsure of what kind of weapon had been used, but he wasn't taking any chances. With a degree of finality, Fox climbed out of the arwing and came to stand upon the lifeless ground of Cerinia. A gentle sigh filled his mask, and Fox began his long lonely trek towards the dead city.

Each step to Fox filled him with trepidation, anxious chills flittered up his spine and rattled his bones as it set off that ancient primal warning. The fight or flight instinct. It was more than that however, Fox was used to the sensation of his instincts screaming at him; courage wasn't the absence of fear, it was learning to control it.

_Damned if I'm not about to piss myself, the hell is going on here?_

Fox's experience at that moment was something that ran far deeper than anything else he had the displeasure of feeling in his entire life. The sensation not unlike a rock that struck at the very core of who he was, draining his courage and dedication. Fox didn't know how to respond or what to think. He'd been on alien worlds before, dead planets with nothing on them, and yet in that very moment; it was as if the world felt... **thin**. Like a barrier between realities was ready to crash down at any moment and unleash untold amounts of chaos.

Fox paused as he shook his head. These concepts to him were utterly foreign and the understanding of how he came up with the analogy was not comforting. Perhaps it was the restoration of his mental link and the mind now opened to possibilities larger than himself. Regardless, all Fox knew was that his time was short. His instincts and the sword told him that much.

An extended amount of time would pass as Fox trudged through the vacant ground until finally, he reached what could only be the suburbs. He had not landed closer to protect his means of escape, afraid of what might be lurking in the cities and the areas outside of it.

At the end of an empty street with his tail twitching in agitation was where Fox stood. The buildings before had once been beautiful. His eyes drank in the elegant arches and flowing architecture as the stone of each laid brick interconnected with such precision that no seams existed. Faded paints that hinted at blue or other cold colors had flaked off or were in splotches with natural walkways that seemed to reach to where porches began and then wrapped around the house proper. Timidly, Fox approached the nearest shambled home and saw places for gardens had been laid out, fences were non-existent… but the damnedest thing about it all? It was that everything felt unfinished. Windows had long since been blown out or had not contained glass in them at all; all that remained was the wooden center piece that held the panes inside. It was as if the very life of the structures had been sapped or utterly annihilated. Fox imagined himself staring into a half-finished painting with no context of what stood before him.

_These were once homes, Cerinians walked these streets with family and friends. Then that bastard Oikonny took it all away._

Fox was tempted to head inside and have a look around to familiarize himself with Krystal's people but thought better of it. This was a mass graveyard. A worldwide tomb full of the dead, and the longer he stayed, the greater his risk of joining them. For reasons unknown, Fox felt that the city held the key to what he sought. He had no reason to believe it, no evidence; all he had were his instincts and a strange alien weapon that was acting as a sort of guide.

The very same sword which showed him the horrors that awaited him here; yet it was silent like a vacuum.

_Perhaps this will be easier than I thought?_

He half expected everything to go to shit the moment those words crossed his mind, yet still, the world remained at ease. For now at least. Fox observed the broken road which led to the skyscrapers that loomed over him like great tombstones. The Auburn vulpine paled to think of how many bodies lay within those massive edifices of a fallen world.

Suddenly, Fox's right ear twitched which caused him to bring his head back down and gaze to his right. For a split second, he thought he saw someone with piercing azure eyes gazing out of one of the windows with a great deal of animosity. With a shake of his head, he looked back at where they where… They were still there; eyes full of accusation; as if to say this was all his fault.

The eyes did not move, nor did they wander away. Instead; when he moved, they followed.

He dared not speak lest he disturbed the stifling silence. In some shape of wisdom and nerve, he decided it was far more conducive to move on and head towards the city that lay before him.

The sensation of being watched only grew as he moved through the empty suburb, vehicles that resembled automobiles and hovercraft lay strewn about became far more frequent on his approach. Fox advanced to the nearest car and blanched at what lay within. Bodies, or rather their skeletal remains sealed inside the transport. Each one a vulpine with fur long since dead and all that remained were sun bleached bones. It's occupants eye sockets vacant and jaws slung open in a silent cry of horror. Both occupants in the front seat wore matching gold jewelry around their neck.

_Mates probably..._

His eyes turned to the back of the vehicle and his suspicion was all but confirmed. Fox's heart broke as he saw three tiny kits who couldn't be more than five years old who perished long before they ever should have. The scene was only made worse by the filth covered the floor in dried blood and who knows what other bodily fluids that had since stained the fabric of the automobile. Fox's stomach began to churn and heave as no matter how many times he saw it, scenes of this nature always struck him on a deeply personal level. For reasons he could not fathom, Fox reached out to touch the vehicle and instantly regretted his decision.

Misery, torment, and brain-numbing horror flooded through him. He could hear the screams of the children and their parents as whatever ungodly contagion tore their mortal forms asunder. Fur coats that were rich in dark blues and midnight purples interlaced with white faded and died before their very eyes. Skin sloughed off in great chunks of meat, exposing internal organs, muscle and bone bared to the air as those very same muscles and organs liquified to their horror before finally embraced by the sweet kiss of death. He had hoped they passed on into the afterlife, but whether it was his opened mind or his instincts once more reared their heads; told him that they were stuck as vengeful wraiths crying out simultaneously for release and blood.

On an instinctual level, his mental defenses clamped into place before any more damage could be done, and blocked out the psionic resonance within the car. Fox fell flat on his backside with his heart hammering away before he turned over and retched over the pavement after pulling up his mask for the most fleeting of seconds to upend what little food he had eaten in the past several days. Snot ran free from his nose as tears ran down his cheeks from the sheer force from his stomach, and through watery eyes, he could see the pavement. As quickly as it all came up, it died off and Fox slipped the mask back over his face. Thankful for his sheer force of will that he didn't inhale as he had no clue what shit was in the air.

There was something far more pressing though; as Fox knew that for however long he lived, those images would never leave his memories. Fox had always thought on it, but he never understood just how widespread his failures were and their ramifications. If he had killed Andross the first time properly and confirmed a body; perhaps Cerinia would not have suffered.

With his stomach finally settled, Fox rolled back over and sat upon his backside away from the bile that now lay on the side of the road.

_Desolation. Isolation. Destruction. Fear. Angst. Hatred._

Fox reflected on each of these in term and related them to his own situation. He had Destroyed his love life and an entire body of work with Fear. He had become Desolate in the universe at large, making use of his Angst and Hatred to tear through enemy after enemy in a search for purpose.

Now, he sat on a dead planet with nothing to show for it.

_The fuck am I doing here? I should be back with her and making things right… what can I even hope to achieve? Waging war is one thing, but this… Spirits, gods, ghosts, dead planets. This is all out of my depth. I should have talked to Krystal! I'm lost in all this without her…_

The russet tod sighed, he almost wished he had some sage advice as his heart rate slowly returned to normal with his head at rest upon his arms which lay across his knees.

_I shouldn't be here._

There on the curb, Fox let the realization sink for what a fool he had been and began to wonder if he should just abandon it all and let Krystal hate him for the rest of his days while living someplace where she would never find him.

It was at that very moment during Fox's downward spiral, that the wind around him began to pick up. Dust blew across open ground and for the first time Fox heard a sound besides his own breathing and heartbeat.

A deep world shifting humm filled the air and with it came a vibration that Fox felt in the very ground like an earthquake. The empty homes and vacated cars shuddered in response as the tone made Fox's bones shake and feel as though his chest were going to cave in from the sheer force; and as quick as it came… it faded. Fox looked around with an immense feeling of dread.

_What was that?!_

Beneath his black masked features, Fox gazed to his left and then to his right.

_Never felt anything like that in my life._

Once more the sound blared through the world around him which forced Fox to his feet and turned to what his compass indicated was east. The very same direction from whence he came. Overhead was an enormous gathering of sinister clouds with lightning bolts striking down to the planet below. That, however, was not what spooked him; what did, was the ominous otherworldly Borealis that appeared in the midst of the storm that swirled and danced menacingly as it expanded outwards in long blood red wispy strands that for some reason Fox felt they were reaching for him specifically, like the squall knew he was there and it was coming for him. Fox had never seen such phenomena before, sure he'd seen nebulae and all kinds of strange things in his life, but this was something else… something that was not supposed to exist or so his rational thoughts told him. However, his instincts declared the only logical thing that it thought proper.

_Run!_

Without any logical thought to, whereas he might seek shelter, Fox bolted down the street. The pavement hit under his boots as the world around him became a screaming whirlwind of dust and the thunderous crackle of energy that always seemed to be just scant feet behind him. The sound of the storm sounded similar to that of a freight train chasing him down as each step felt heavier than the last. The sensation of his vigor being drained as he suddenly became filled with the urge to curl up and yet despite all this, he pushed on. The vulpine once more showing his propensity for pushing through immense adversity.

_Cover, need cover! I need someplace to hide!_

The houses nearby would not suffice, too many openings and not nearly enough time to shore them up. Sadly, his options were non-existent and the more Fox ran, the quicker the storm seemed to catch up to him. A quick look over his shoulder revealed a wall of dust that was swiftly closing in on him. The houses he had just passed minutes ago swallowed by the raging maelstrom. Panic set in and Fox screamed in terror for little reason as his lungs began to burn. The sensation of fear that coursed through him was unlike anything he had felt; such burgeoning anxiety threatened to break down his barriers and cause him to collapse in a weeping heap.

Fox's head whipped left and then right hoping for any sign of salvation with none to be seen. Despair took root, and with resignation to his fate, the tod turned to embrace his doom. Fox's heart hammered within his chest as the storm came at him with all speed like it sensed that its prey had given up. And just before the storm would engulf him, a bright green swathe of energy would form about him. Fox was taken aback as the hurricane swirled around him and the shield held firm. A brilliant emerald glow amidst an infernal storm. His eyes frantically gazed about to try and find the source, only to feel the warmth and comfort of his sword that lay upon his hip glistening with power as he drew it from the scabbard.

_It's just like Krystal's staff back on Sauria… but how?! It's never worked for me before!_

A sudden head splitting screech filled the air as his eyes were torn from the sword and into the swirling abyss about him. He couldn't see it, but the sound was certainly there over the wailing whirlwind. He could see impacts across several places. It sounded like fists, feet; then weapons and blaster fire or something similar to Krystal's staff weapon. Again and again, the attacks came, ripples of energy absorbed the shock until cracks began to form in the shield. Whatever monstrosity was out there was swiftly breaking through; Fox had an idea of what lay outside the shield but he did not want to think about it. Each blow to the glittering dome cracked it further like a fine piece of stylized glass; the breach widening to the point he could hear the wind rustling past when an ethereal glowing rotten mottled hand lunged through and reached for him. Bone white knuckles dripped fluid and spoiled flesh fell off in great chunks as Fox let loose a howl of unchecked terror overrode his senses.

This was it, this was how Fox felt he would die. His stupid rash nature had put him into this position. The breach grew ever wider and that arm grew closer, just barely scraping his snout as he tried to back into the farthest reaches of the bubble that formed around him. Fox swore he could see a face attached to that arm, one filled with undeniable malice and a rage so profound that he could not even begin to scratch the surface. Fox knew anger as Krystal did; the difference was that Fox's rage had years to build, a decades worth until it was unleashed at the ripe age of eighteen upon Corneria's enemies. After that another eight years would pass as Fox took on the mantle of protector, each loss of innocent life hammered him, built within him and caused that festering ire to grow into a supernova that would engulf all who stood in his way.

What Fox witnessed here was paltry by comparison; this creature… this… monster; was once an innocent, murdered at the hands of Andross. They had loved, laughed, cried and but just like any other living mammal. Fox was all too familiar with that sensation of outright animus, and there were only ever two things that had brought him back into the realm of sanity and prevented him from being consumed by two decades worth of blackened rage. That was his all-out force of will and the love of his life. One of which was not present and the other was diminishing at a rapid pace.

The disgusting hand grabbed at him over and over, just mere millimeters from his masked features until it just abruptly faded away as if it was never there, to begin with. His eyes radiated with absolute dread. Fox's fangs were bared under the mask as he tried to figure out something, anything that would save him; and as if an answer to his wild fearful thoughts, sudden bursts of blues and deep royal purples expanded within the whirling dust cloud. Bit by bit the wind died down and the wailing screaming came to a halt until the world around him was clear as day. The storm itself seemed to have never existed in the first place! Fox's heart slammed against his ribcage repeatedly as he reigned himself in; the tod doing everything in his power to calm himself down as he tried to find the source of whatever dispersed the maelstrom. The glittering emerald shield fell finally and faded away and with it; Fox stood and let his eyes take in the scenery around him. Whatever just happened… was one hell of a terrifying mystery to him.

Long minutes passed in the deafening silence; Fox felt himself almost missing the storm and screaming as it was a source of noise, even if it nearly made him crap his pants. Still, Fox had little idea of what to do now, there were clearly supernatural forces at work and he would need to tread carefully in his search. Fox closed his eyes and listened to the world around him, opening his world to possibilities as Krystal had once told him.

_Listen to the world around you, and you will find your way._

It was dangerous, he knew that now. With all the Psionic forces at work, it was a risk, but one Fox knew he had to take. Fox had no clue what he was looking for or any inkling of what he needed to find. The only thing was that such an action required there to be actual life or noise; and unfortunately, there was nothing to be found on Cerinia. It was a black hole of empty space. Fox grunted beneath his mask as he focused intensely, trying to hone in on anything that was remotely living or might inspire some semblance of hope… not even a second later a familiar ping tugged at his consciousness. The tod turned west and opened his eyes; those sharp hues caught the glimpse of something golden glistening between the drab buildings… something he had not seen before. Just as he had so long ago in his dreams; he made for the light.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! A bit of news. As of right now, I am halting all other projects beyond Eternity Awaits. I am focusing solely on this story until it is finished. Furthermore, I've done some brainstorming and it looks like I will probably be pushing this story to about 20 chapters. 15 is not enough to wrap up all the plot lines I have going, not to mention I want to touch on some things I've hinted at and laid out in previous chapters. So, for those of my readers who read Fox's Kurse, Lylat Has Fallen or When Worlds Collide, I do apologize. But I want to get this story out of the way; this has evolved into something far greater than I expected and the feedback has been tremendous.
> 
> That being said; While I appreciate everyone's enthusiasm for the story, please. Do not ask me when the next update is coming. It'll be posted when I think it's ready. The writing and editing process can be lengthy at times and believe me, there's plenty of stories I want to see updated too. So I empathize greatly. Thank you for reading and enjoy.


	13. Illumination

A morose stillness reigned supreme over the dreary garbed vulpine. His boots uttered only the faintest of echoes down the empty street. Fox had drawn his blaster rifle while scanning left to right in search of a way through the combined wreckage of a collapsed skyscraper and traffic snarl. Andross just hadn't used chemical or biological weapons. As before Fox's eyes was clear evidence of orbital bombardment.

The last mile had been one apocalyptic scene after another; skeletal remains scattered across the ground; rusted vehicles with their occupants still in their seats jaws slacked open in silent screams. Fox swore he sensed those empty sockets bore into his very soul with accusation.

It was clear that Andross' attack had to have been so sudden and brutal that they barely had time to react.

The damndest thing though was that Fox had found evidence of battle and it was recent too. Just half a block back he had discovered signs of energy discharge and red stains of blood in a small supermarket. Or what he thought was a supermarket anyways. Either way, Fox had gladly looted unopened cans after ensuring they were not contaminated. His pack jostled lightly with the sounds of metal containers within. Whatever was inside would certainly be better than a meal ready to eat; especially without all the blockages, they caused.

With that thought out of his head, Fox groused as he couldn't spy clear path and with no other options, he took the riskier road. One thing most folks didn't know about vulpines was that they were natural jumpers and were able to reach heights that could compete with some feline species. He started out on some sort of car and lept from the hood and onto some rubble that appeared stable. He then coiled his legs and bounced off a nearby steel girder and finally reached the top of the pile. It was as good a place as any to take a break and recollect himself.

The Auburn vulpine found a secure spot to sit and breath as he opened a tube at the front of his mask and hooked a straw into a polymer canister that would liquify the food inside cans; MREs and allow for ingestion… It was not pleasant, but it was better than dying horribly to whatever contagion was in the air. If there still was one. Fox mulled over his progress; it had felt like days since he landed and every step seemed longer than the last. That golden glitter always seemed to poke through the buildings to taunt him; encourage him forwards. Even now Fox glimpsed the golden object, but he was tired and in need of food and rest.

_Only five minutes, then we're off._

Fox couldn't help but wonder how Krystal was doing, what she thought; or for that matter, what Ceria was plotting. The tod wondered how she planned to mess with him again.

Fox felt a tug in his heart at how angry Krystal must be with him, that he would run off without her with no explanation in some daft hope that whatever he did down on Cerinia would be the thing that would undo all the damage. Remorse set in and wedged its way into his flagging heart.

_I would give anything to hear her voice again, even if it was in anger._

A frown crossed his features before Fox suppressed those budding emotions; now was not the time to reflect and get caught in one of his loops. Fox knew he was here for a purpose, one he would fulfill to the best of his abilities.

_But why am I here? I don't even know where to begin._

Fox turned to the only source of information that could provide his answers. The very same blade that lay upon his hip. His piercing emerald eyes gazed upon the runed blade with intrigue, wondering just what secrets it held or hints that the sword could provide. Memories of his time in Sauria filtered through his consciousness; how Krystal could speak to him through the staff when he slept…

_Sleep… I feel like I've not slept in days since landing here, the sun never seems to go down._

It also didn't help that he had started to hear things; faint whispers off to the side in empty buildings. They were words muttered in a dialect of Cerinian Sylvara had not taught him. Fox could not tell if they were malicious or curious. The issue was that their tone was utterly alien to him. The thought had occurred to Fox that he was losing his mind. Fox found himself wondering if all the grief and pain that had been boiling beneath the surface through the years had finally caught up to him. The horrifying thought that he could be in a padded cell somewhere and all this was just an illusion... was certainly not a comforting one.

Beneath the fabric, Fox's tail twitched as something stirred within his chest; not the myriad of dreadful emotions or thoughts that had been plaguing him for so long. It was a sense of purpose, a drive to succeed; one he had thought long since lost to himself. The idea that he was in a cell was absurd, he was there, on a dead world with one thing on his mind; to prove himself to the love of his life that he would do whatever it took to make her happy. Fox's teeth clenched tightly as he thought about all the shit he had endured, his parents lost; Lylat torn apart again and again, with untold amounts of death and destruction he had seen out in the black beyond Lylats borders.

_And I've been sitting on my ass all this time moping around instead of trying to find a solution or do something about it… Scraping by with chump change jobs; I was a leader, a destroyer of empires, slew a would be god… Now, look at me, a pathetic simpering fool._

Fox growled angrily at himself as it dawned on him at just how much of a coward he had been. Not just to himself, but to Krystal and all his friends and family. He ran away from his problems rather than face them.

Though Fox could not see it the world around him shifted and rippled; swathes of potent otherworldly power wafted through the air as Fox tapped into his vast reserves of determination and anger. He had tried to pull himself up back in the Arwing when he first arrived, but now witnessing the destruction that Andross had wrought on his loves homeworld, it sparked something deep inside Fox. That fire for justice and vengeance roared to life anew in a way he hadn't felt in ages. The last week he had been like a stuttering plasma engine; the capacitors and fuel cells weren't firing off in sequence. He'd get started as he had in the court situation… then flounder again out of sheer nerves. Afterward; he and Krystal had spoken and it was a start, then the damned sword started its thing and like a fool, he rushed off at the hint of trouble and a vain desire that it would work out in the end. No plan, no idea what he was looking for.

Now here he was, alone on a dead world with a crossroads to choose from, he could run away from his problems again and hope Krystal would understand; or, he could stay the course and do what he came to do…

_I refuse to run away again, all that's done is cause more pain and hurt, but if I run back now; it'll show I lack commitment, show I'm weak. I can't do that again. I made my choice and I have to face it. And something tells me that light is the key to why I am here. So let's do it; get up, face this head on and be done with it._

With a nod of his head to himself, Fox finished his disgusting meal and sealed the mask back up while he put everything back where it was. A deep sigh came through his nose and Fox began to make his way down the rubble, leaping from stone to stone. Hope blossomed in Fox's chest, even if his end was not a good one; he felt it in his bones that Krystal would have a good life when all was said and done. It was that singular notion that finally pulled Fox free, that he could change the outcome he had created. He shattered the emotional chains that had shackled him for years and finally broke the cycle, allowing him to walk the path into the man he always wanted to be. He still had work to do, and he would be damned if he kept moping around anymore.

_Lets Rock._

**x-x-x-x**

**Svestruga Safe House**

**13:00 Hours**

**3 Days Ago**

Wolf sniffed at the musty air that was full of dust and who knew what else, it had been days since Fox ran off and Krystal nearly tore apart The Mensharr in her anger. Wolf never quite understood just how much power Krystal packed in that Five-eight frame of hers, but… considering the room where Fox had stayed was utterly decimated with metal furnishings and such bent, crushed and turned into more than a few creative shapes… Wolf wondered just what the hell was wrong with him when he hired her way back during the Blitz.

_Man, I'm glad I didn't get on her bad side at all, especially after how she mopped the floor with Panther._

They had arrived at the old dilapidated warehouse on Svestruga, it was the only place Sylvara knew Fox might go to if he ran somewhere, and now Wolf understood why. The place was a goldmine of weapons, information gathering equipment, and Mia's Gods only knew what else lay within. The only reason they hadn't been pasted upon entry was that Krystal's mother had given them the security codes to bypass the automated defenses and various booby traps.

_Tell ya, Fox got paranoid in his time outside Lylat._

Now, they were rummaging through the safehouse looking for any clues or trails that might lead them to wherever Fox had taken off to.

_The hell has gotten into that pup, I mean sure; after the Blitz, I can understand why he'd piss off, but now? When Krystal came all this way after his ass? That's some serious devotion there… Though after what he did, can't say I blame him for still being skittish._

Wolf was on the other side of the complex searching for any clues as to what Fox might have had on his mind. The lupine's bionic eye allowed him to see things that were out of the ordinary and right now he was searching for heat sources, levers, anything that would stand out.

_Swear when I get a hold of him, I'm gonna paddle his… okay no, not making that joke; way too many stereotypes and rumors about us already._

The grizzled lupine shook his head with a grunt as he gazed about the place until his eye came to land on a rather out of place wall, the bricks seemed to not match their surroundings, though anyone without a sharp eye or the use of his bionics would surely miss it.

"Hey! I think I found something!" Wolf barked across the spacious building.

The sounds of several booted feet soon followed Krystal, Mia, and Sylvara. Leon had stayed behind at the spaceport to make sure no one made off with the Cerinian cutter they were running around in.

"What did you find Wolf?" Mia inquired.

"There's a wall here, fake as all hell but I can't see beyond it; might be lined with something I can't peak through."

The red panda eyed it curiously and though she could see nothing, she had little reason to doubt the grey lupine. "Well, there's gotta be a switch or something, look around."

Behind them Krystal watched the pair as they set to work immediately, the last several days had been a strange one. Wolf's behavior around Mianikai was… well, it reminded her of Fox a little bit; nervous, twitchy, stealing glances when he thought no one was looking. She was pretty sure Mia knew what was up but she gave Wolf his space to adjust.

_If I didn't know any better, I'd swear he's in love._

Krystal dismissed the notion, it wasn't any of her business but she was enjoying this new side of Wolf. The canine was still standoffish but seemed more personable as of late, and hypocritically quiet, as though he were doing quite a bit of thinking.

The cerulean vixen jumped slightly when her mother nudged her shoulder and two pairs of aquamarine eyes met and wordlessly they began to set to work trying to find a way to open the hidden door.

Sylvara would be the one to find it hidden underneath a nearby table they had used in the past for an ad-hoc kitchen.

With a gentle press, the sound of hydraulics expanded into the air nearby with all eyes turned to the faux door. All four made their way over to the entrance before peering inside; Krystal and Sylvara most of all completely shocked at what they found within.

Maps, artifacts, wall to wall notes and star charts. Four sets of eyes wandered over the room until twin sets of aquamarine came to rest on a collection of chests. The very same ones from way back when Sylvara and Krystal met.

"What the-"

"Bloody hells!" Both blue vixens shouted in unison.

Both Mia and Wolf turned to the two vixens as they pushed into the room and began examining Artifacts and the chests. Throwing them open and finding all sorts of trinkets from their fallen homeworld. It was a vast range of items: Simple bowls and cups, technological and mystical devices that had not been created since the fall of Cerinia.

"Mother… What was Fox doing with all this?" The vixens tone within her voice denoted her mixed emotions. On the one paw, seeing so much of her homeworld gathered in one place was such a glorious and wonderful feeling; but on the other, the fact Fox was hoarding relics for some unknown purpose which only served to stoke the embers of her anger into a roaring bonfire the likes of which she had not felt in years.

"I can't say I know… but maybe all those times I talked to him about going back to you sank in; just in a way, I didn't expect."

Krystal did not seem satisfied with the answer but did not display it; instead, she went back to scrounging through the various crates with Sylvara joining her.

Mianikai watched the other three look through various crates and tools, but her eye kept being drawn back to a specific star chart that had notes scribbled all across them.

_Not here._

_False Positive._

_Prospector was full of it._

Each red wire she followed amid the trail of web until finally a circle with a tag pinned to it with arrows placed facing inwards.

_Here!_

Mia's eyes wandered over to the crates and various runed objects that lined the room until she turned back to the planet that was the focal point of the map.

"I think I know where Fox went."

The two vixens had been discussing rapid fire in their language which was laced with heated and aggravated tones. Wolf was off to the side inspecting some Cerinian weaponry before all three turned back to Mia who followed her gaze to the chart.

Krystal and Sylvara came to stand at Mianikai's side as the trio stared at it. Recognition flashed across both azure vulpines.

"Oh no…" Sylvara muttered. "He wouldn't…"

The red panda turned her head to the taller vulpine with an arched eyebrow. "What?"

"There's only one planet in that system that Fox would go to, and it would explain all of this… But that's insanely dangerous; suicidal! The damage… Gods what are you thinking Fox!?"

"Sylvara, please explain! You're making no sense!" Mia pleaded in growing anxiety.

A look of total dread had draped itself across Sylvara's face as she turned to the red panda. "He's gone to our home, to Cerinia. A place we fear to tread."

"Why?" The priestess was confused as to why there was such a look of trepidation and utter worry upon both vixens features. Even Krystal's ire had evaporated in a flash as the identity of where Fox had gone to became clear.

"Millions of Psionics died all at once, we were all once connected across a vast telepathic network; instant communication and understanding were ours. Hells, we could communicate with our planet. Not like a direct conversation, we're having; but we could feel it. It's what allowed us to take such good care of our world and it, in turn, benefited our people. So many people dying horrifically all at once, the psionic backlash alone… I can't even begin to imagine the horrors that await anyone on that world." The way in which Sylvara spoke was of great loss and tragedy; everyone in the room could feel it… and see it.

"And with Fox's mind's eye open with no training...oh gods," Krystal uttered. "I may have just as well killed him! The torment alone will drive him insane!"

Sylvara turned to her daughter and embraced the younger vixen who was riddled with fear at the realization of just where Fox was going, and what he may have pushed himself to do in order to make amends. Krystal wanted to scream at herself for not staying closer or taking the chance to make everything better way back at Katina. Fox could very well be a vegetable at that moment in time and she would never know.

"No, this is not your fault. Fox made this choice and he has to face it… if he survives though with his mind intact, I… I… I don't know." There was no capacity for anger at the moment, no hatred or disappointment. Fox was braving a tortured world and there was only one reason he could ever make such a decision. The relics and the maps all pointed to one thing.

"Fox is trying to make things right," Sylvara whispered.

Krystal buried her face into Sylvaras chest as the elder vixen tried her best to comfort her daughter. Yet Krystal did not weep, nor did she break down to her credit. Instead, Krystal's paws came up to grasp her mother's shoulders and then stand back. "I have to go after him."

"Krystal, No! You wouldn't last five minutes there! Fox may not even be alive, let alone recognizable!"

"I don't care! He would do the same for me!" Krystal snapped at her mother, that fierce look of defiance within those bright burning hues. Centuries of warfare and a hardened resolve had made the Cerinian people among the finest warriors in the galaxy.

Sylvara felt a swell of pride from inside her chest. For at that moment she saw a vixen who could easily be her double from so many years ago. That rash, reckless, devoted behavior to the ones she loved. Though fear gripped her heart at the prospect of seeing and feeling her dead world… she could not deny that Fox deserved a chance at rescue.

"Okay, okay. We'll do it, but we're going to need some things first. We'll need to head back to The Mensharr before we go to Cerinia."

"Whoa, whoa, hold up here folks. What are we talking here in terms of threat? Telepathic networks, people talking to planets? Pardon me if this is all new information I'm havin' to process." It was Wolf who spoke up, completely confused by all the chatter going back and forth between the two Cerinians.

Mia, of course, mirrored the lupines confusion. "I have to admit, this is all very much out of my depth… you two are going to need to go into some explanations here."

Both vulpines turned to one another before nodding and turning towards the pair. The pair of vixens began to give both Wolf and Mia a crash course in Cerinian Physiology on the way back to the spaceport.

**x-x-x-x**

**Cerinia**

**Present Time**

Fox's eyes had witnessed what he thought to be the impossible, and he had seen quite a lot in his lifetime. Strange anomalies of glowing masonry, cars that had been turned into little balls of condensed metal. Hell, he saw a building shorn in half with the upper levels were levitating as if being held up by an anti-gravity device.

_What kind of crazy world is this?_

Fox didn't know if it was left over technology or something far more mystical was occurring; given how things had been going on the planet thus far Fox knew neither could be precluded.

However, what greeted his eyes now was far something he had seen more than once… but the stark differences were deep.

Before him on the street was not empty cars or more rubble from the war, but bodies… very well preserved corpses. It was as though time had frozen for these Cerinians; men, women, and children lay strewn about the ground in the very same tribal attire Krystal had once worn. Some in full body robes, others in the scant loincloths and tops.

Fox had seen bodies before, but always mangled and almost beyond recognition. Here; he could see what they looked like at what he presumed was their time of death. The one thing he was grateful for was the fact that their eyes were closed and they bore neutral expressions. Still, the scene unnerved him and as he looked up; that glinting golden beam taunted him once more.

_It's not real… It's not real. Just keep telling yourself that. It's all in your head._

On his peripheral Fox had started to notice things. Shadows he had never seen before in his life. Outlines of what appeared to be people and he could almost hear this dull buzzing in his mind; like an out of tune old-style radio or a signal that wasn't strong enough to get through to a ship. Further still; the sensation of being watched only intensified as he grew closer to whatever was projecting that light. Much of it malicious… but some of it was protective as if someone were guarding him. Indeed; Fox had thought he heard the din of battle not far off from his position on numerous occasions. The distinct sound of blaster fire, a clash of melee weapons not unlike the sound of Krystal's staff hitting an enemy.

It was impossible of course, or so Fox thought. This was a dead world, surely no one was alive on it… But then, when was anything predictable when it came to Cerinians?

Still, it mattered little. He had a destination and it lay on the other side. With tentative steps, he began his sojourn through the street of bodies. Each one he passed with silence, doing his utmost to not stare down at the bodies. An eternity passed as he stepped along the pavement, mindful of the garbed bodies strewn about.

Step by step he waded his way through the scene until with great relief and a deep sigh from within his chest, Fox reached the end of the street only to turn back and find every single body had seemingly vanished, not a single trace was left behind but one. In their wake was an eerie dark glow, like an oil stain that to Fox spoke of malice and discontent. Yet unlike the storm earlier, it did not attack or manifest any sort of horrors. Instead, it felt as though it was staring right through him, gauging him and seeing who and what he was.

_Like a trial?_

Fox did not display fear, nor did he start to run despite his instincts screaming at him to do so. The longest minute in Fox's life passed with the miasmic cloud slowly dissipating; and just before it did, Fox caught a glimpse of a little silver light at the heart of the mass. With its disappearance came a distinct sense of satisfaction that washed over him as he was left alone once more.

_What in Lylat is going on here?_

Fox rubbed the back of his suit and turned about as he shook his head in confusion and began his trek anew. Hours would pass before finally arriving at his destination. It was sudden and seemingly from nowhere as he exited a stretch of street and burst into what only could be a massive city square. Rows had been set up along the beautiful marble stone walkways where trees had once been, long since reduced to nothing, all that remained was barren soil. Beyond these rows following the paths was an enormous structure; a sanctuary if Fox ever saw one. To his surprise, the building was intact, immaculate even. An intense contrast to the surrounding remains of a dead world. On either side were two massive statues holding battle staves that intersected at the very top, one blue, the other gold with their wielders obviously Cerinian vulpines decked out in the attire resembling the people he just saw not hours ago. A male on the left, and a female on the right and at the apex were two glistening jewels in the staves that seemed to be generating a sort of power as his Geiger Counter began to tick away. That, of course, made Fox nervous as it indicated some level of radiation… but what kind was the question?

It mattered little as he approached the towering edifice; the golden source was a bright light at the top that reflected off what little sunlight made it through the atmosphere and gave it that glistening appearance. A symbol he had never seen before but it gave the distinct impression of life, hearth, and safety.

_A temple, there's no other explanation._

Without a second thought, Fox broke into a sprint. Every fiber of his being told him that this was where he needed to be; that this was his salvation and the solution to everything he ever wanted. A large set of stairs greeted him that Fox took two at a time until he came face first to a pair of frayed doors made of an alien dark wood. How it did not decay where everything else organic had was a mystery, but he did not care. Fox grabbed the large brass handles and depressed the levers and signified the latches that held the doors closed opening. With a loud groan, the two immense wooden doors swung open wide and inwards, exposing the interior as Fox crossed the threshold.

Inside the temple was an outright change from what he had witnessed before. Inside was pristine, orderly and not a pair of bones inside. A great red carpet extended from the doorway and lead right up to a massive statue of the one and only Ceria. Her statue was exquisitely crafted with the same flowing robes she wore in his dreams, only in one palm she held the same blade that hung from his hip, and the other seemed to be opened in a gesture of peace.

_Walk softly and carry a big sword I guess._

Ionic pillars ran in rows alongside the red carpet with pews on either side made of the same wood as the door.

_I never figured Cerinians to have large temples like this, but then I've only been around them in a combat capacity and Sylvara… Big mistake on my part._

The doors slammed shut suddenly and nearly made Fox jump in fright; his hackles rose and ears perked up in alertness. Eyes scanned around the glorious structure and as his head canted back he gasped; at the top was an elaborate mural. A vixen that was clearly Ceria that held Cerinia in the palms of her paws to her ample bosom with her eyes closed. It spoke to Fox as if to say that he was safe in Ceria's embrace. Dazzling blues, striking whites, and even the odd aquamarine stood out among the myriad of colors that adorned the ceiling. Truly Cerinians were artists as much as they were fighters.

_Ironic… considering the state of this world._

"Funny you should say that."

For the first time in days, Fox heard a voice not his own and with that, his head turned to the source of the voice half expecting Ceria but instead greeted by someone who was almost her opposite.

Bookish was the first word that sprang to his mind, the vixen wore a simple beige robe with a tome that dangled off a bronze chain around her hip and was held securely in place. A pair of glasses adorned her snow white fur but instead of pure white, she had several strands of blue that ran in swirling patterns across her features.

"Who are you?" Fox demanded, immediately wanting information.

The vixen smiled in kind. "Rather abrupt, but I cannot say I blame you for what you have endured on my home. I already know who you are, denier of fate. You may call me Cedia."

Fox blinked at the first title he was addressed with and shook his head. "Cedia?"

"Yes, Cedia, sister of Ceria, keeper of knowledge, The Cerinian Archives, and Time."

_Great… more gods._

"You should be happy actually, considering I have no intent on using you or your lover, unlike my sister."

That immediately piqued Fox's interest and tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"You came here for a purpose not knowing what that is. You acted rashly as is befitting your personality, but you did so without your love. The set is incomplete, Ceria underestimated your bullheaded nature."

"The point?"

"Not one for pleasantries when on the job? Alright, I can respect that." The vixen chuckled as she approached. Fox finally got a closer look at the mysterious vixen and she was a far cry from Ceria. It was strange to Fox that they looked almost nothing alike and yet she claimed to be the vixens sister.

"The sword knows better than my sister actually; as that blade was made when she was at the height of her power. A bygone age when she could bring the dead back to life and smite those who would harm her children. Sadly, as technology advanced, our power waned. Who needed gods when you could invent devices that did almost the exact same thing? Naturally there were still the devout and they paid lip service, but that's all it was… It wasn't until Andross came that they called out and begged to us; and by then… it was already too late."

Fox crossed his arms and tapped his elbows, clearly impatient with the goddess but did not interrupt her.

"There is a device beneath this building, one that was supposed to be destroyed and rendered inoperable. However, I salvaged and hid in the one place the Venomians would never look as it was the only means to save this world and its souls. But, I will leave that for you to discover and decide on your own what you want to do with it. As for Ceria… well, as much as she despises it; she wanted to use both you and Krystal to power it and save the planet. But it would come at the cost of your lives and quite possibly your very souls."

The russet tod was taken aback by how blunt Cedia was being, no telling him he had to figure it out, no riddles or rhymes, it was actually quite refreshing. "You're kidding? This device is that powerful and all it needs is two lives to power it?"

Cedia shook her head. "It also needs that." She said pointing to her sibling's sword. "The power within that blade coupled with those pure of heart would be enough to restore this world."

Fox was far from an idiot and immediately knew what this device was. "Wait… a terraformer?!"

"I believe that's what Arlys called it." replied the vixen.

"Who?"

"You will see soon enough," Cedia said sadly. "All I ask is before you descend into the complex below, stop, and think."

"What is there to think about? My goal is close!"

"Krystal." She snapped sharply. "What would she want? I've seen every possibility of how this plays out for you and I will not tell you so do not ask. I want you to sit down, think long and hard on your next actions because what follows will not only determine your fate, but the fate of the Cerinian people, and most of all Krystal."

"There's nothing to think-"

A loud crack filled the air as Cedia slapped Fox clear across the face with enough force to send him staggering several steps back. Legends late in life spoke of it being heard well into the afterlife and beyond.

"Argh! What the hell!"

"It's that attitude that got you in the situation you're in! Never thinking of her, always what you want to do and how you know best! That was your downfall, only your other iterations manage to right themselves where you have been an especially stubborn fool. Instead of treating her like a mate, you-"

"I know."

Cedia stopped mid-sentence and blinked in complete surprise.

"I know exactly what I did and that's why I am here. I want to give her a life she deserves. Everything she did for me, she should have a real home, not some dreadnought that drifts from job to job. Never staying in one place for long before we move on…"

Cedia sighed as she interrupted him. "You poor loveable fool, your heart is in the right place but you don't understand Cerinians one bit."

"What do you mean?"

"Fox, she stayed with you on that ship because that's where she wanted to be, it's where destiny called her. You two meeting was not just coincidence, nor was it fate…" The painted vixen sighed agitatedly. "It's so hard explaining these things to mortals, it really is. You Fox, are outside the wheels of fate. You can literally change the course of history by your actions. Did you think it was by happenstance you managed to topple Andross with just four ships and a dreadnought? That you, your friends, and everyone defended against the Aparoid Invasion when so many others failed?"

McCloud had no idea what to say."If not fate, then what?"

"I don't know. But every now and then, mortals of exceptional potential are born outside of the influence of fate and are among the few people who can actually change the course of their civilizations. To be honest, I think this is the only recorded event in Cerinian history of two in the same lifetime. Quite the time to be alive. Perhaps it is fate and I fail to grasp the concept as do my kin. Who knows. But that's not the point Fox, you've already told my sister and her lover that you would give your life for her, are you willing to give your soul as well? Because I know the moment I open the pathway, you're going to rush down there and activate the device by yourself. It will then destroy you in your act of ultimate selfish and simultaneously selfless endeavor to spare Krystal that outcome. All so she can have a stable home with her people."

_I really hate telepaths and gods sometimes..._

Hearing Cedia recite everything as fact both annoyed and astounded Fox to no end. That there was a terraforming device here on Cerinia! He could save this world and finally give Krystal the home he thought she deserved.

"I want you to think about how it would effect Krystal. You complete her you know, just as she does you."

Fox felt a piercing wound in his heart as the Cerinian goddess' words rang true. Ever since he had kicked Krystal out of his life, he felt like half of himself was missing. As if a gaping void had been there since that fateful day.

"Should your life force not prove sufficient; you may very well irreparably damage this world. For you to kill yourself in this fool's errand would devastate her on more than just an emotional level. Your love runs deeper than you could possibly understand. Ceria showed you a glimpse into the multiverse, how far that hurt and passion goes. One life where she shot you, and you apologized just before she would end you for the pain you caused, only to understand just how much you regret your decision and then took you back. Another where Krystal was ready to kill herself because of the thought that she was not good enough and that you hated her. Then the third life where you are her shield and she is your sword against horrors untold."

Cedia let her words sink in, or so she hoped that would be the effect. To see a love such as theirs squandered and possibly destroyed, it hurt her almost just as much if not more so. For she never knew such love but had read of it plenty in The Great Cerinian Archives.

Her mind could perceive time itself and yet Fox was an anathema. Emotions were not her strong suit. Ideas, information, numbers were her game. Raw knowledge her tool. If she gave Fox the facts, then perhaps he could avoid doing more harm than good with his errand.

"Even if I stop and think, would you stop me if I decided to go ahead?"

Cedia twitched slightly at the corner of her mouth. "No… I and my kin have a strict code against interference unless it's an extreme emergency and danger to our people. As you can see, we failed when it mattered most."

Fox swayed his tail lightly and decided to play a bit of Katina roulette. "For all the teleporting around and words, I've seen no real evidence you lot are as powerful as you say you are. In Fact, it's been nothing but talk talk talk. So who's to say I even need to do what you tell me?"

If there was one thing she hated in life, it was arrogance. But Fox had earned his arrogance in blood and fire, and with how weak she and the others were; he was right to be suspect.

"Do not mistake our understanding for lack of ability to act. If I so chose to, I could throw you through a wall or crush your mind just by thinking about it. Do not test me, Fox. You will be the one found wanting."

The tone in which Cedia spoke was factual, poignant, and very much a tone of "Don't fuck me with or so help me I will kill you." It made Fox swiftly reconsider that train of thought.

"So, if you won't stop me, why tell me?"

"Because I want what's best for my people," she replied.

"And me restoring the world wouldn't be?"

"Potentially, there would be many harmful memories here; the cleanup of bodies and discovery of loved ones left behind would be tragic. Not to mention the time it would take to exorcize all the souls who are stuck here. It could be centuries before this world is completely at peace once more. For that reason, it very well could be best that they find a new world to settle on and rebuild."

An unsettling question rooted in Fox's mind, one he decided to voice. "What about you and Ceria, not to mention the souls trapped here?"

A warm smile crossed the vixens lips. Even as Fox had dealt with all manner of nonsense through his life; he showed care and concern for others well being. Even the dead and their gods.

"We would likely go dormant for some time. Unless our people found their faith again in strength. We cannot die, not in the traditional sense. As for the souls here… it would take time, but eventually, they will pass on into the afterlife; a painful and grueling experience. But we lack the power to do anything about it, not without the world restored and a proper priestess. That, however, is not your problem. What is; is the future you want. I want you to think about what's best for you and Krystal. Don't do this blindly. I admire your courage and ability to stand resolute, but this is a delicate choice; one that you shouldn't make alone."

Fox sat there as Cedia spoke to him, not as Ceria did where it was almost as though he were a child, but instead; someone who had a brain. What Cedia spoke was true… if he were to make the sacrifice, how would it affect Krystal? Would she be driven to suicide? Would he hurt her more? This entire time he never even considered the ramifications of his actions and instead just went with what he thought was right. War was far simpler than what he had to deal with and he hated not being in control…

Fox's ears twitched at that last thought that crossed his mind.

Cedia saw it and the opening that was presented as Fox slowly turned to stare at the vixen.

"Oh, sweet Krazoa…"

"Yes, there~ it is, that sound? That's the sound of you finally getting the picture. It only took you two and a half years to realize that you have a control issue." Cedia stated matter of factly.

Fox wanted to slap himself at the sudden epiphany that waylaid him. He had always tried to be just and good, but then he was always in charge and leading from the front. People lived and died by his decisions… The unfortunate reality was that Fox had let it all go to his head, and dealing with that demonstrable behavior pattern was going to be a problem.

"Now you are truly starting to comprehend your lot in life Fox. I will be around should you have questions, but for now. Sit, think, and relax. You have all the time in the world here." And with that final word, she faded from view.

Fox was left once more to his devices and decided to heed Cedias advice, finding one of the pews and taking a seat as he began to contemplate his past, present, and future.

**x-x-x-x**

**Cerinian Orbit**

**Cerinian Archer Long Range Scout Ship**

**2 hours previously.**

"So… ya'll wanna run this by me again?" Wolf uttered.

Krystal groaned for the umpteenth time. "These devices were invented just before the fall of Cerinia, they're meant to hamper Psionic abilities in case of severe mental trauma. Or, in our case, they're meant to protect us from intense Psionic backlash, you two have to wear them as well. Though you aren't exposed as myself, my mother, and Fox. You can still be manipulated potentially by the wild forces at work. Even with this bloody thing in my helmet I can still hear a buzzing… it's unnerving."

Wolf gazed silently at Krystal as she explained the device and shook his head. Even with the explanation of how their Psionics work, it was all Katinese to him. His primary concern was a certain red panda who was decked out just as the rest of them were. Carapace armor for hazardous environments in various colors. Red for Mia, grey for himself, Blue and purple for Krystal, and Silver for Sylvara.

"So why do we need weapons, if there's nothing alive on the planet…"

"Phantasms," Sylvara replied instantly.

"What?"

"Apparitions? Ghosts? Spirits? Any of these ringing a bell?" Sylvara muttered angrily.

Wolf got the idea and shook his head as it was all new territory for him. Though, more of his concern was directed at a special someone off to his side.

"You sure we should be going along with this? I mean, it's not exactly our fight…"

Mia turned her white snout up to Wolf and smiled, she could see through his thinly veiled excuse. An attempt to protect his ego while still showing concern. O'Donnell had a ways to go, but he at least had started on his road.

"It's up to you Wolf, but we've started this path; are you sure you want to back out now?" Her head canted slightly, holding a blaster rifle across her chest in a professional manner.

Wolf knew enough about women to what she was saying. "Do you want out? Or In?" His growing affection for the little Indoshan was moving at leaps and bounds. He didn't like it. To be exposed was to be vulnerable, and his time as a pirate had taught him when you're out like that; it's when they go for the throat.

That wasn't Mia though, she expressed genuine interest and care for him, and while he hadn't balled his eyes out like some pup; he had told her things even Leon didn't know… Speaking of, Leon sat in the corner twiddling with one of his knives, the chameleon opted to be the one to say with the ship. All this hocus pocus nonsense had him on edge, hell, everyone was.

Krystal and Sylvara most of all; the place had them all out of sorts and it showed. Yet within their apprehension was a steely determination to rescue Fox from himself or who knows what awaited them down below.

But the grizzled lupine couldn't help but let his thoughts come back to Mia… She had suggested something to him during one of their private conversations on the way over. That he should turn himself over to the authorities on Corneria, confess to all his crimes and though he was pardoned, it would do well to let people know he actually felt remorse for his past. He knew there were still plenty of people in Lylat who were sore at him and they certainly didn't have a lick of trust for the canine despite saving their bacon.

Wolf understood all too well what Fox had to endure as the shining star of Corneria. But, it would be a truly fresh start; going straight and narrow as she put it. Hell, rescuing Fox from a possessed dead world would make for one hell of a story back home. Endear a few folks to his side when he came out with everything.

_She is right. I can't be a pirate forever, sooner or later my past is going to catch up to me. Not to mention it does get a little lonely. Maybe there is something between us._

The grey canine had plenty experience in more lustful situations, but actual romance? That was a limited experience other than a one woman whom he dated ages ago. The rest had been conquest after conquest. Now in his early forties, life was passing him by in his pursuit of infamy and money. He'd talk with Mia about it more, but now; he had to go and rescue his disgraced rival who was on a suicide mission to prove their love for Krystal.

Meanwhile, Mia had been thinking about the whole ordeal. Why Fox ran away again; how far he had fallen. She had been infatuated with Fox at one point, his boyish charms that showed every now and then. His near unbreakable will and power, but now; Fox was the furthest thing from her mind. Instead, her thoughts had been on O'Donnell. He certainly cut the dashing rogue when he wasn't trying to slip into her panties when they first met.

But it wasn't his grizzled nature that attracted her, it was his past and his future that intrigued her so. She'd been down that road, the pirate, the mercenary, killer for hire. If she could repent, then sure as she was a red panda that Wolf O'Donnell could too. Even if he needed a little nudging. He was a good man at heart, a strong fighter; just a lost soul like so many others. It certainly helped that even though he was up in age; Wolf was still a damn handsome man. She had more than a few "Games" she'd like to play with him when it was all said and done.

"Would you two kiss already." Leon quipped.

Both Wolf and Mia turned to their espionage specialist with ears perked beneath their helmets.

"You're not fooling anyone. You two have been making eyes at each other since the convoy, either smack snouts or just stop it already. You're worse than Panther and Krystal at this point."

A pin could be heard several sectors away from the silence that permeated the crew compartment.

"Leon… don't ever mention Panther again." Krystal mumbled hidden behind a half smirk that was covered by her helmet. The fact it was Leon who outed the budding couple was a treat and it had certainly done a lot to ease the tension. Even her mother was trying and failing miserably to contain her snickering.

The two in question turned to one another and locked eyes, Wolf was hesitant, to say the least. The thundering in his chest was something he had not experienced in years, not since before the Lylat Wars. That rogue inside him dared him to go for it, to snag a kiss from her; however, Wolf was not entirely without manners and some sense of romance. Yet the canine felt he was not ready for such a thing. Instead, he looked over at Leon and furrowed his eyes.

"Yea right, whatever Leon. Just for that quip, you're on latrine duty when we get back to Corneria."

Wolf rolled his shoulders as he turned about and checked his pulse carbine closely, unaware of the pair of emerald eyes boring into the back of Wolf's head with no small amount of mirth combined with endless patience.

 _I'll get you yet big boy._ Mia thought to herself.

"C'mon, what are we waiting for? Let's get down there and go find a lost Fox."

Krystal shook her head at wolfs vain attempt to save face from his second and the rest of the group. He did not like to be vulnerable, and who could blame him? Still, that amused smile crossed her snout as she did one final check on her gear.

"Yea lets go get my boyfriend so I can beat some sense into that thick skull." Krystal pulled her staff from its holster that lay upon her back. With a sharp metallic whine, it locked into place and extended. The once dull azure gem glowing brilliantly. The vixen reflected on the events from eight months ago; when her staff had rejected her and thrown her around as if she were a toy. The outright fear Krystal had experienced was one of the most painful events in her life. The worry that the last bit of her home she had left would disown her. Krystal embraced the warmth her staff now radiated and squeezed it like a long lost friend.

_Thank you for staying with me through all of this, I know it was questionable at times. But thank you nonetheless._

The staff of course, did not speak, but it had come close more than once to abandoning Krystal with some of her more uncouth decisions. Now, it saw the purity in Krystal's actions and the risk she was about to undertake. The presence within the weapon had no doubts left about its owner anymore.

"Let's go." The vixens voice was filled to the brim with confidence. She was ready to put this chapter of her life behind her and move on. Hopefully with Fox.

 


	14. Homecoming

Death, slaughter; extermination. These were words often thrown around during times of war. But what lay before the squad of individuals was something that not even the truest to life film could have hoped to recreate. Only two of the four had ever seen such destruction on that grand a scale. Yet what lay out before them paled in comparison to their myriad pasts.

Mianikai had been keeping a close eye on her three companions as they traversed the various gruesome scenes. The red panda doing her utmost to ensure that the emotional pain that they experienced did not overwhelm them. Especially the two psionics. She could not begin to fathom just how deep the anguish ran within the pair. This was their home, a barren skeleton rotting in the depths of space; a mass graveyard of a lost civilization. Every step was like a lead weight in their boots; each breath labored as three out of the four tried to contain themselves from the overbearing sense of horror and sorrow that ran rampant through the very ground they tread on.

Mia was no psychic; however, the training she had gone through in the temples of Indoshan had made her acutely aware of the realm of spirits. It also allowed her to take in the various impressions of the world around her. The red panda wanted to fall on her knees and weep, to pray to her gods and beg for safe passage for the millions who lost their lives in needless slaughter. Her heart ached, and bled as every sensibility within her wanted to lash out in a world-shattering scream of "why!?" The Cerinians while secretive, were good people. They rarely engaged in war and more often than not, their actions were in self-defense. So why did the universe see fit to punish them?

_They did not deserve this fate… no one does._

Krystal and Sylvara were obviously hit the hardest. They did well in concealing their agony, but Mia saw through their stony facade. Subtle twitches of the tail coupled with their slower than normal movements were indicative that they were fighting their emotional states just as hard as she was… if not harder.

Then there was Wolf… Mia could see that the greyed pirate was doing his damnedest to contain the emotional roller coaster cascading through his mind. Cerinia with its vast wellspring of psionic energy was hitting him the hardest. Wolf's lack of mental training in comparison to the rest of them made him incredibly vulnerable. The lupine staggered in his steps as he clutched the pulse rifle tightly to the point he had to be white knuckling it. Mia desperately wanted to reach out and comfort them. It was her duty as a priestess to uplift their spirits, to guide them through troubled times and this was certainly one of those times.

The problem was how could she in such an environment? Surrounded on all sides by the results of a genocidal madman. Their only guiding hope was that Fox was alive, and credence was established when they found his Arwing and a trail of boot prints. It certainly did not help she was having to tend to her own mental fortress.

The constant whispers she heard needled at her defenses and were slowly wearing her down. It certainly did not help that Mia's eyes and ears had deceived her on more than one occasion. Voices and visions of long-dead family members, lovers, and enemies from her previous years as a bounty hunter. Every single one trying to talk to her all at once. Some laid blame at her feet, others accused her of atrocities while the ones that she loved begged for her to save them.

_They aren't here… it's all in your head. This planet is messing with you… Starting to think coming here was a mistake. If Krystal and Sylvara are struggling as much as I am… there's no way Fox is sane, or alive._

Meanwhile, over to her left, Wolf focused on the debris-filled path ahead. His jaw clenched tighter than a sealed door during a hull breach.

Wolf was well outside his element. Things like ghosts, space magic, and psionics were never something he ever took much stock in. It was completely alien to him and with that lack of knowledge in mind; it became abundantly clear just how far Krystal's mystical origins went. Wolf certainly wished he had taken the time to learn more about the Cerinian. It was far too late now though. The middle-aged pirate felt the gates to his mind being battered upon as whatever lay upon Cerinia tried to force its way inside. This was not a war he was prepared for and it was only going to get worse.

_Keep it together Wolf. it's nothing but dust and echoes. It can't hurt you._

The one-eyed canine knew he was lying to himself. Already Wolf had experienced flashbacks to times in his life that he wanted to forget. The slaughter of entire Cornerian units, destruction of cities, enslavement of innocents… Andross's experiments.

Each one had been more powerful than the last, every image one of horror and chaos. Wolf looked at his paws that gripped the pulse rifle. He swore that there was blood oozing from his gloves.

_The past eventually comes back to haunt you…_

Wolf whipped his head left and then right in an attempt to shake the otherworldly feeling and ignore all that was being shown to him. Unfortunately, as Wolf was about to find out, running from your conscience was not a tenable solution.

_Why am I here? I don't belong… I'm no hero, just an opportunist. Every time I've been given the chance to be a hero, I snubbed it or used it for my own ends. Hell, all I did in The Anglar War was screw over Fox and got the bounty off my head at his expense… I'm an ass hole._

So caught up was Wolf in his internal reverie, he did not see Krystal stop in front of him to which he accidentally bumped into and halted mid-stride.

"What the-nnph!"

"Quiet!" Krystal hissed as she took a knee and dragged Wolf down with her. Muzzled gripped tightly in her paw through the sealed suit. Sylvara had her own rifle lifted up and aimed down the road. The two vixens had taken on a posture of alertness, their heads scanning around as they looked for an unknown threat that Wolf could not see.

"What is it?" He managed to finally utter when Krystal let go of his snout.

"I don't know… and that's what troubles me." She replied.

"Is it one of those… specters you talked about?"

Krystal shook her head once again as the sound she had picked up scrapped against the ground again. Whatever it was, it was moving… and with the bio-scanners having detected lethal elements in the air; it should not have been possible.

The younger Cerinian vixen took point with her three squad mates in tow. Each one covering their angles to make sure nothing got the drop on them. The group carefully hunched over and moving forward as quiet as a mouse until they reached the street corner. Once more the sound of metal being moved about filled the air and with a single paw, Krystal's palm went up with three digits. Mia, Wolf, and Sylvara prepped for what horrors they might be about to face… who knew what Andross's weapons had done to the dead.

_3…_

_2…_

_1…_

The countdown finished and Krystal bounded off her foot with Sylvara right behind her. Wolf had taken up an overwatch position at the corner with Mia watching their flank. Wolf expected to hear blaster fire scant seconds later, but only one phrase was shouted… and it was distinctly male.

"Kxidtoh!"

Whoever it was, it seemed to be using some sort of phrase and demanded an answer. Wolf had heard enough commandos and military types issue something similar before. His sights zeroed in as he peaked the corner and saw Krystal and Sylvara aiming their rifles at a singular individual atop a slanted pile of rubble. The male was dressed similarly to themselves but the suit was of a different design.

The outfit was sleeker compared to their bulk, hugging the frame closely which allowed for maximum flexibility and visibility from a broad faceplate. However, it was a one-way view so they could not see who was on the other side. The very same individual had a rifle pointed right at them as he repeated the phrase.

"Kxidtoh! Eh A nacc vaho ed 0ei!"

Sylvara seemed to understand whatever the man was yelling at them and quickly shouted her reply in the same language.

"Vcujx! No'ho vhaodtc0! Xect 0eih vaho!"

Tension lay thick in the air; three rifles pointed at one. Or, at least one in appearance. A sound of a stone falling to his left caused Wolf to whip his rifle around and spot another rifleman aiming at his position followed by two others appearing out of his peripheral.

_I thought this place was dead!_

It was then Wolf noticed the whispers attacking his mind had ceased. His thoughts were serene. Empty almost, and for what felt like a first in an eternity; Wolf could hear his own breathing. Across their squad linked comms Sylvara's voice filled in.

"Everyone, stand down. Gods, I can't believe it. Survivors." She muttered.

"Mother, are you sure? Could this be some kind of trick of the planet? I felt my mind breaking under the pressure just minutes ago."

Mia was the next one to chime in the comms. "I have to agree with Krystal… this just seems unlikely. Too good to be true almost. Survivors on this world? How?"

"Military bunkers." Came Sylvara's reply. Her voice hopeful if somewhat in disbelief. "While our world was not a warring one, we knew there might be times when disaster struck and so large complexes were built into the planet. Enough to save thousands, hundreds of thousands per bunker. With their own water filtration plants, oxygen scrubbers. They ran off large fusion reactors that would last so long as they were properly maintained."

"Sylvara… what about food?" Wolf uttered.

There was a long pregnant pause that hung on the comms.

"Sylvara?"

No response came as Krystal finally shouted for her mother only to be met by a loud echoing scream that filled their minds. Each of them gripped the sides of their heads in pain from the shrill volume that seemed to penetrate to their very core until it faded into nothing. Once more dead silence reigned supreme.

Each of them labored in their breathing, fear rooted deep in their minds with their bodies chilled to the bone… it was Wolf who first found his nerve and in a panicked tone he barked out at Krystal.

"What the hell was that?!"

"E-Echoes… very powerful ones." Krystal shivered in pain while her paws gripped the ground tightly while crawling forward to where she saw the Cerinian. There, half buried in the rubble of the building was a vulpine corpse. A long since decayed rifle in their grip. "Whoever they were, they died here… violently."

"From what?" Wolf demanded.

"The planet. They were survivors at one point; now they're nothing more than ghosts." Krystal replied. Her form quaked and shivered beneath the suit while fingers bunched up in the rubble. Krystal's voice trembled with outright terror.

"Okay... to hell with this, we're scrubbing the mission, there's no way Fox is alive. If he is, he's liable to be insane! I'm already cracking under this pressure and we've only been here for a couple of hours!"

"What?! No! We can't!" Krystal spat back. "I won't leave Fox!"

"Girl, he's left you twice! He kicked you out of Star Fox, then he ran out on everyone! Now?! We're stuck on a fucking dead world with a bunch of pissed off ghosts! Get it through your head! He doesn't want you!" Wolf snarled.

A pin could have dropped and been heard miles away as Krystal snarled angrily. "Take that back."

Wolf had decided that enough was enough. His fear was in full control and thus his old tendencies sprang forth. The desire to survive, the selfish want to look out for himself instead of others. The only ones he ever cared for were his team and… Wolf crushed that latter memory and snarled as he spat bile at Krystal.

"Fox has always been a selfish little prick, doing what he thinks is best for everyone rather than listening to his friends and family! I might be an opportunist, but at least I listened to my team! Face it, Krystal, he'd rather die than be with you."

Krystal bared her teeth beneath her helmet. She'd always known Wolf was a selfish, greedy ass hole. Though he was right, Wolf did take care of his team and that extended to her when she sided with them. It was there that Krystal felt a single tear run down her cheek. Months of searching; almost three years of heartache and burning pain at being scorned. All she had to do was accept Fox's apology during the Blitz, and they would not be here. Her mind was unraveling, even with the device trying desperately to drown out the damned, she could feel it. Kursed, her guardian at the entrance to her mind was fighting off an endless horde. The purple haired vixen bathed in the metaphorical blood of those lost souls who clamored and brayed for a shred of warmth.

_I will not fail again. I will not turn my back on Fox. He deserves more._

Wolf's words rang deep inside her consciousness, but she would not suffer them. Krystal had come home to find her love and pull him out one way or another. Even if he was a corpse, he deserved to be buried at home. Not lost among a sea of the dead on a long fallen planet. Fox in her mind deserved to be lauded as the hero he was for all that he suffered. All that he had endured at her hands, and his myriad of enemies.

"Then leave," Krystal stated calmly and turned about. The vixen began to move deeper into the dead city. Wolf, Mia, and Sylvara all sat stunned as Krystal moved on without hesitation.

The elder vixen stood up and tried to run after her daughter only for Krystal to draw her staff and slam the end into the ground. The unstable concrete and buildings collapsed behind in an avalanche of debris and dust. Krytsal's actions had severed the path between herself and the team.

Sylvara cried out for her daughter and attempted to move towards the rubble with the intent to scale and follow her. There was clear panic in the elder vixens movements, in response; Mia and Wolf both sprinted to tackle the desperate vixen to the ground.

"It's too dangerous! She made her choice!" Mia snapped. Her own terrors had gotten the better of her. For better or worse, she knew Krystal had to walk the next leg of her journey alone.

"That's my daughter! She's my only family left!"

The red panda held the struggling vixen down. "And you're the closest thing your people have as a queen! They need you!"

"Krystal needs me!" Sylvara pleaded.

Wolf finally had enough of all the drama and with swung his balled up fist with enough force to knock Sylvara out. The elder vixen fell limp with her helmet intact.

Mia whipped her head to the left. "Wolf! What the hell!? You didn't need to do that!"

"We gotta get out of here Mia! Can't you feel it gnawing at you? Let Krystal go on her suicide mission! I've had it up to here with this nonsense. I should be back in Lylat with a fat paycheck." The greyed lupine shouted.

Mia felt her world shake, the good man she had seen in Wolf before? Never had that man seemed so far away. All his fears and insecurities were being drawn out by the cursed planet. Now she was getting to see who Wolf was at his core. The Wolf who had survived so much hell and sacrificed everything to get where he was. Friends, family, loved ones… he'd expend lives if it meant his own survival and prosperity.

_This is the Wolf that Fox fought against._

She scowled at the newly emerged Wolf, but with Sylvara's life at risk and now down to two…Mia relented to Wolf's wishes and picked the comatose vixen up between them.

"We're heading back to the ship and up into orbit. If Krystal doesn't contact us in forty-eight hours, we're leaving and declaring them both dead." It was an order, not a request. The fact Wolf was only giving them two days showed just how little he cared, though Mia supposed that they could leave outright. The unfortunate fact of the matter was, Wolf was right. They couldn't keep going as they were, but she would have some very choice words for Wolf once the lupine was calmed down.

But, back down on the planet, now isolated and alone; Krystal strode forward with as much confidence as she could muster. The Cerinian vixen was looking for any sign of her beloved.

_Damnit, if only I had the use of my powers… I could use that to track him._

Instead, she was having to do it the old-fashioned way; eyes, ears, and gut feeling. Thus far she had not found a single trail of Fox having passed through the area she was in. Numerous collapsed buildings and several streets that were shattered from violent upheaval made traversing the dead capital of her people a chore.

It had only been a half hour since she parted with her mother, Wolf, and Mia. She would not let Wolf's cowardice and self-serving nature hold her back. Not this time. The azure vulpine felt her rancor stir at the fact Wolf had been so ready to retreat and leave Fox for dead.

_He talks a big game, but he's a pussy at heart._ She snarled internally. _I_ _ **will**_ _find Fox._

A gentle wisp of wind, the first she felt through the suit since arrival graced her head and on it came a faint voice. It was so muted, if Krystal had not been paying attention, she may have very well missed it.

_How much risk are you willing to take Daughter of Cerinia?_

The voice wasn't one she had heard before. Not at all like Ceria way back on Indoshan, it was more forceful, authoritative and carried within it a degree of experience.

_How much faith are you willing to place in your people?_

Krystal clenched her jaw as the voice whispered ever more into her consciousness.

_My people tried to have me killed. They tried to judge me for a situation they did not understand._

_That is true young Krystal. Very true indeed, which is why the Cerinian people need to evolve. They need to emerge from the twilight of two worlds and become whole. They need their Princess._

Once more her teeth ground together as she held her head within her palm.

_I've lost it, even with this device I am hearing voices._

_You've not lost it at all. If anything, that device is what's hindering you. It's what holds you back… The dead cry out, but not for the reasons you think… all you need to do… is listen to them._

The cerulean vixen shook her head. That was madness, the souls of the dead would rip her mind apart. Her guardian and the walls of her mental fortress would be breached and devastated beyond repair.

_Faith, Krystal. Have faith. What else have you to lose?_

The final phrase made Krystal swallow the saliva that had been building up in her mouth. It spoke some truth… what else was there? Fox was likely dead or a gibbering madman. Wolf would likely retreat and flee with Mia and Sylvara. Her mother was probably going to carry on just as she did after Cerinia's fall.

_There really isn't anything left to lose at this point..._

Once again, Krystal opened her mind to the possibilities of the universe and with great trepidation, disabled the device that was drowning out the dead on her planet.

Bedlam is what she expected, screaming, incoherent yelling.

Instead… a bleak muted silence greeted her.

To say Krystal was confused; did not even begin to describe it. Long heavy minutes passed. Krystal felt that she would have welcomed a roaring maelstrom compared to what she experienced at that moment. Such remoteness made the vixen feel as though her entire world would shatter with the utterance of a single sound.

And then she heard the whispers.

**x-x-x-x**

Fox sat within the cathedral and drummed his fingers on the pew before him. His head hung heavy as he went over his life. Decision after decision. Each one was done for the good of Lylat… well, what he thought best for Lylat. In the end, his goals and Lylat's often aligned and thus led him to skyrocket to fame and glory the likes of which were only told in movies.

But, it was how he attained that fame that bothered him. Fox had been in command of his team since the start of the first Lylat Wars. His entire life had been filled with training for that very moment. Especially after his father had perished at the hands of Pigma and Andross. He always had been in control, even with Fara he had been overbearing and everything had to be done his way.

_I knew best after all…_ He thought bitterly.

Fox's paws knit together, pads tracing over his knuckles with a low snarling growl in his throat. It wasn't directed at anyone in the vicinity. No, it was directed internally.

_Slippy, Falco, Peppy, Miyu, Fay, Katt. All of them. I always led them with such precision and ferocity! But I didn't take a damn minute to settle down and talk with them about what their needs were! No damn wonder they left me high and dry!_

"There are times where it's healthy to be selfish." Came the gentle dulcet tones of Cedia. "People think it's wrong, but sometimes it isn't. Your issue was managing it. You either went one way or the other."

The Auburn vulpine snorted. "What, are you, my therapist, now?"

"If you like. I know it's hard for people to fight their innermost demons. Having a friend by your side can make it easier."

"Okay, friend or therapist?" Fox finally lifted his head to eye the strange vixen… who was now a very bright sky blue. In response to the change, his left brow arched in question.

"What? I'm a god, I can change how I look at a whim, well, at least my fur colors and patterns anyway."

"Fair enough." replied the tod. "So…"

"So. What do you think drove you here?"

"You mean other than being a control freak?" Fox replied as he leaned back into his seat, staring at the beautiful mural.

"Well. We know that part. But why? This whole chain of events started when you kicked Krystal off the team. Was it truly for her safety… Or yours? Perhaps both?"

Fox's gaze scrunched up in disgust. The thought of being so scared and petty made his tail thrash.

_Why did I though? She took care of herself on Sauria, The Aparoid Homeworld and creator only knows how many sorties. Why then…_

"Perhaps you were trying to protect her from yourself?"

That made Fox blink in confusion as he sat upright and gazed into the vixens swirling irises.

"What do you mean?"

"You're not a bad guy Fox. Not by a mile. But perhaps your heart and mind knew better than you did. In your effort to spare Krystal your controlling ways, you distanced yourself."

Fox wasn't exactly following the train of thought and so, Cedia delved into it further.

"Did you two ever mate? Become intimate, kiss? All the stuff a courting couple would normally do?"

The questions that barraged the young vulpine made him sigh. Cedia was trying to help, and perhaps having an outsider listen might do some good. He wasn't much for sharing his personal life or amorous endeavors… but then, what would it hurt? His voice was solemn, forlorn; as if remembering every single thing that he and Krystal did. From kissing under the Saurian moonlight, to just being nestled together under the warm covers on the cold Cornerian nights. "We did all those things, well, save for the sex. I was too chickenshit to go beyond hand-holding, kissing and cuddling." He muttered in disappointment to himself.

"I never really understood why either. I was, well for lack of a better term: terrified."

"And why is that?" Cedia inquired.

"Okay doc.," he said with a slight bit of mirth in his voice. Fox dug deep into his mind, trying to find the answer. Krystal was near perfect in his eyes before the Anglar war. She knew him better than anyone else. The alien vixen knew his greatest fears, hopes, and dreams. Krystal had figured out just how to get him to open up and…

"Ding ding, we have a winner." Cedia sang teasingly.

It did little too brighten Fox's mood. Fox's mind reeled as understanding flooded his thoughts. Fox had always been a guarded person, and while he was controlling. Ultimately, it was fear of losing those he loved more than anything.

_Probably cause of the whole dead parent's thing..._

Krystal had completely bypassed every wall he put up and opened him wide to a world of potential bliss. Happiness… was not something Fox was familiar with. The short-term bouts of endorphin rush of a battle won and payment received. Quick acts of lewd behavior with strange women and one night stands; those were the short term joys he knew of. But true honest to gods as Cedia stood before him happiness? That was utterly alien and different, terrifying even. Krystal in less than a year upended his world and neat control he had over his life. She exposed him to true bliss and the sheer thought of losing that…

"Scared you so badly you sent her away rather than risk losing the most cherished woman in your life. More so than Fara and the memory of your mother. She knew you better than anyone else and offered everything you ever wanted. You weren't used to such kindness and love. You were afraid of the lack of control you had over what she made you feel. The power she had over you, and the mere thought of that being ripped away from you..."

Fox's head hit the wooden ledge of the row before him. Tears streaking down the corners of his eyes and his narrow snout.

"I was such an idiot… She had every right to be mad at me," he whispered.

"Mad? Yes. Treacherous? Not at all." Came the reassuring voice of Cedia. "Both of you made mistakes, but you did so to protect her. Even if it was hidden behind a cowardly action. There was genuine care and love there. Your subconscious mind sought to preserve her personal good. The kindness that you had come to know. To put it bluntly: You were not ready."

Fox shook his head as he wiped a tear from his eye. "I don't think I would have ever been ready, not for something as amazing as that."

"Few rarely are. And that's what makes it so exciting Fox." Cedia said as she slipped into the seat beside him. "The unknown, the adventure; the power one can feel in your heart. Sure, many will attribute attraction to a series of chemical responses and other biological nonsense. But that subtracts from the mortal factor. That there's is more to life than just hard science and numbers."

Fox blinked in realization as it dawned upon him just what kind of person he was talking to "My god, you're a romantic!"

Cedia descended into uncharacteristic giggles that Fox thought he never would have heard from a deity. "Guilty as charged. Though, you're lucky no one ever found those cheesy romance novels in your room Fox!"

The mood went from dour and serious to outright cheeky in the span of seconds. "H-hey! No one knew about those! Not even Krystal!"

Cedia grinned. "Neither did I until you just admitted to them."

Fox's jaw hung open at the realization that he gave himself away and fumed. "Dammit," he uttered.

"There, a better mood no?"

Fox couldn't deny the fact he felt a little bit better about his situation. "A little. But, what do I do now? Krystal is thousands of lightyears away and I'm stuck here."

Cedia gave him a knowing smile and pat the tod upon his head. "She may very well be closer than you think Fox." The vixens head canted off to one side as if gazing into some unknown presence before her head turned back to Fox. Cedia's voice descended into a more quiet and conspiratorial nature. "I can't speak directly of events that are unfolding Fox. But I must warn you, you are in greater danger than either of you have ever been. You need to open yourself to Cerinia. Do not fear the unknown… embrace it, let it flow through you and become apart of you. Become the hero we need and save us."

Fox blinked at the vixen before him as his brow furrowed. "What?"

"I cannot explain Fox. I have to go. Ceria is near and watching me now. Good luck, Fox." and with those final words uttered; she vanished.

Fox had a million questions on his mind. Did she mean Ceria was the danger? Or was there something even worse lurking the shadows of a dead world… and what did she mean by Krystal was closer than he thought?

These questions weighed heavily on Fox. The Papetoonian tod was left wondering just what he had gotten himself into.

**x-x-x-x**

A fire crackled and sparked as the smoke filters into the air only to be extracted and drawn up into the air scrubbers. Imgran smiled to himself as his beloved's head lay at rest in his lap. The vixen having long since fallen asleep. His paw tenderly stroked through her long beautiful azure locks in a soothing way. It was her turn to sleep while they stood guard at the Cathedral District Metro entrance. One of his subordinates sat nearby playing on an old string instrument. The young male strummed the chords with dexterity and skill as the entire squad hummed along in tune with the rhythm. Each of them was prior military before the calamity, and each one knew the song well.

_The Long Trail Home_

It was a tune about coming home from war; walking apace through the vast open fields filled with thigh-high grass and gorgeous azure flowers. Only to pause at villages and townships along roads and be greeted by a grateful populace along with the ones you loved most.

The old veteran now with grey in his fur stared down at his younger wife as he listened to the small symphony of his squad. The elder blue vulpine felt himself wondering what he did to deserve such a beautiful vixen who gave him children. Imgran often wondered if the war that destroyed their home had not happened; would he have met Emelia? Him being from the west, and her from the southern continents.

His thumb gently caressed the vixens forehead when everything came to a halt. Three heavy bangs echoed down the tunnel from the blast doors that sealed the opening to the metro. Even his wife lurched up grabbing the rifle propped up next to her and aimed at the entrance. Her soldier's instincts honed to perfection.

Imgrans troops did the same, rifles, shotguns and a few who were lucky to have their ancestral weapons were at the ready. Each one assumed a defensive position without needing to be told to.

_A well-oiled machine, all of them_. Imgran couldn't be prouder of his unit.

Three more bangs followed, there was a rhythm, a pattern to it… Imgrans eyes flashed with recognition. It was old signal code. Before the fall, Cerinian soldiers and pilots were trained to use it if all other means of communication were unavailable. Which meant whoever was on the other side was military… or whatever was on the other side.

Imgran gestured silently to his troops that he was going to open the door, and while it was a risky move; something was telling Imgran that he should open the door. It wasn't a compulsion or a possession, that would have been obvious by now. Instead, there was a voice in the back of his head that whispered about whoever was on the other side was important. That they needed them. Imgran had an intense feeling in his gut that the voice was right, and so he was inclined to agree. His military sense had rarely been wrong, not to mention leaving someone on the other side of that door was unacceptable. Between their weapons, if it were a deceptive ghoul or some other monster; they'd be lit up like a New Years festival.

Carefully he moved up to the portal and took hold of the valve and began to spin it. First, the steel beams that reinforced the locks came away as they slid to either side. The doors themselves were rusted and painted over time and time again; they were worn ancient portals. Each one parted as the maw to the devastated homeworld above opened wide; gears whined pitifully as they begged for lubrication. The foul fetid wind rushed to greet them. However; every one of them had donned their masks to protect them from the contaminated air above. Imgran had not even finished opening the door when a strangely armored woman entered. Her equipment was not of any Cerinian design, nor was her rifle. But what did give away that she was one of them… was the staff weapon slung across her back, brilliant, golden and gleaming. The dead did not carry such weapons into unlife. Nor could the ghosts manifest them. Whoever it was, they were quite real.

The vixens movements were janky as if they were on the last vestiges of testify such was the case; she collapsed forward with the armor clanking as Imgran sealed the door behind them. In a flash, his wife was upon the vixen, stripping her armor off to expose those fine noble features…

_Noble features…_

The slender white furred snout ended in a button nose, her dirty fur gave way to blue and around her neck lay a gem that hadn't been produced in years… and the tiara… something was afoot.

"Em, get her tribal markings." He stated firmly, everyone had their guns trained on the vixen, ready to fire.

Arm plates followed belly plates and the sleeves on her thighs finally exposed what they were dealing with. Imgran and a couple of his soldiers gasped at the symbol before their eyes. Four points and the ages old symbol of their sun…

_Cardinal Sun! Holy shit! She's a Royal!_

Imgran didn't even wait for the implications to register as he barked orders with authority. "Get her on a gurney and move her down to the bunker complex! Now!"

Not one soul hesitated as the vixen was lifted up carefully and placed on the bed. An IV was placed into one of her veins; however long she had been exposed, the vixen was obvious dehydrated due to her appearance and faded eyes. She would need fluids and plenty of medical care. Her life could very well be in jeopardy; the first Royal on Cerinia in years and his was the patrol to receive her...

_Where had she been all this time?_ The tod thought to himself.

"Imgran, my love, who do you think that was?"

"I don't know… but, times may be about to get interesting…"

"Do you think the priestess's predictions might be true?" His mate looked up to him with hopeful eyes. Many had begun to cling to anything for hope. A prayer that they would be delivered from their fall.

"It's possible, though they could still be bollocks."

Imgran felt his beloved nestle into his side and nuzzle his chest. "I hope they're true. I would love for our children to have a proper house one day."

"As would I dove. As would I."

Imgran couldn't help feel as though the future of his people was being rolled away for medical attention in the bunker complex below.


	15. Overture

" _Welcome home, my daughter."_

Powerful pale light flooded Krystal's vision as her eyes shot open. A dull hum of energy filled the young vixens ears as every nerve began to fire off in her body. Her body screamed at her in discomfort; muscles ached with joints feeling like they were locking up. The contents of Krystal's stomach churned and complained at the lack of substance. Slowly, the cerulean vixen gazed about the clean room, pristine eggshell white walls were all that greeted her on either side. The scent of disinfectant flooded her senses and made her groan at the stale alcoholic scent.

 _Hospital?_ Was her first thought.

Krystal's mind throbbed with such agony that her eyes scrunched closed before opening them once more. What she saw made the vixen gasp in sheer surprise.

"P-Poppa?" The delirious vixen muttered in disbelief.

It was indeed the very image of her father that sat next to her. Bright white lab coat and all. The tod's face was covered in gentle snow white fur that gave way to crisp ice blue fluff at the edges, similar to how her own facial fur turned cobalt at the edges of her own features. His eyes were almost an ethereal teal and were filled with a gaze of sheer parental warmth.

"Hello, my little jewel," he replied tenderly and lay a palm over her forehead. To her awe, the touch was gentle and warm in a way that it brought a great deal of comfort. "My girl, what have you gotten yourself into this time?" The male's voice was delicate, yet filled with a deep baritone. It had been so long since she had last seen her father. Krystal had believed him long since dead alongside her mother.

Krystal's heart raced and let a soft plaintive whimper slip past her lips. Whatever was in her system was causing her mind to gush and open wide towards the apparition of her father. Or what she believed to be an apparition. To further her shock, Krystal was no longer the shapely woman she had become, instead, she appeared as her younger self around the age of fourteen.

That same ghost stared down at her with parental disapproval. The one where the parent knows exactly what their child had done. It was the gaze that wanted to see if she would fess up to the crime. Unfortunately, Krystal had never really been able to resist her father's withering gaze and so confessed.

"I've hurt a lot of people, Poppa…" She whispered quietly, guilt heavy in her voice. Subtly, the room around her began to shift and shudder and soon the hospital clean room was replaced with her family's home before the fall. A little cottage out among the myriad of villages that had dotted Cerinias landscape. The cobblestone fireplace crackled quietly in the corner as she sat next to her father on a gentle blue couch. All about the room lay heirlooms and nicknacks from her homeworld. Paintings and pictures of her family and their lineage lined the walls. Beneath them lay trophies and honors from her parent's service to Cerinia. All of it brought so many memories and thoughts to the forefront of her mind. Krystal wanted to cry out and scream at the injustice of it all, that her entire future had been torn from her. The pride and joy of her family heritage, the promise, and glory that her life would have had within Cerinia's military.

If not for the likes of Andross, she likely would have gone on to the Cerinian military academy. She would have never experienced the loss of her homeworld or loved ones.

"I know my daughter. We both know what you did, but do you remember what I taught you?"

Krystal sniffled as she leaned into the lithe tods frame and nuzzled his chest, taking in the scent of her lost parent as tears welled up in her eyes. "Y-yes, Poppa."

The elder male reached down and held his offspring within his arms for comfort. "Hush now, don't cry. You've had plenty to grieve over and suffered much. You need to keep healing my daughter, to close those wounds in your heart and soul."

Krystal leaned back and whimpered, "But I don't know how Poppa, I feel so angry inside, so insulted and hated by the ones who supposedly loved me!"

The sky blue vulpine listened closely to his child and gave a sorrowful nod of his head, "I know it causes you to ache sweetheart, but you have to find that room to forgive. Your mother was always the more traditional one in things of this nature. You consistently did take after her in more than a few ways," The elder vulpine said. His paw gingerly stroked Krystal's cheek in an attempt to console her.

"But you and I both know what you need to do. Do you still remember my creed?"

The young Krystal nodded in understanding. "Yes, To forgive those who wronged you is to know peace, to hold a grudge in your heart is to house rage."

Her father smiled proudly. "You need to forgive Fox and your family for what they did, Krystal. Most of all, you need to forgive yourself. Just as Fox does. If you go on like this, these emotions will never calm. They will only boil beneath the surface and burst forth again to cause more woe."

"How though? Every time I try it's nothing but noise and anger with Kursed thrashing against it."

Once more the older male stared at his daughter in confusion, "Kursed?"

"The name I gave to the guardian of my mind… my rage personified."

Krystal watched as her father's brow furrowed in concern. "My dear, that is part of the problem. You are separate, fractured," he finished with sorrow in his voice before continuing.

"You need to come to terms with all that has happened. Start with why you acted as you did. Turn your mind inward and dwell of what drove you to such actions."

Krystal watched as her father leaned over and gently cupped both sides of her snout. "You must face yourself, Krystal, even if it terrifies you. You are strong my daughter, the apple of my eye, you can do this."

She knew exactly what her father was saying, all this time her mind had been split into different parts. Fractured and wayward. What she thought was a bulwark against her emotions, was merely a stopgap. Her thoughts immediately raced back to when she could have snuffed Fox's life out. How tempted she had been to end his existence then and there.

_If I were at peace, that thought would have never crossed my mind._

"You know the next steps, my daughter."

"Yes, Poppa," She replied with a fearful whimper as her father faded along with the wonderful home. Only for it to be replaced once more by the uncomfortable white room.

Her eyes traced over every nook and cranny carefully but did not let the disquieting place distract her. The drugs in her system reduced the aches but could not restrain her concentration.

Somewhere, a door opened and she could hear several sets of boots tapping off the floor. Krystal disregarded them and turned inwards into her mind, delving deep into her innermost self.

**x-x-x-x**

There were few times Wolf O'Donnell had been legitimately terrified in his life, and one of them had him around the throat.

They were back aboard the scout ship in orbit and had been for forty-six hours. The only problem was that Sylvara had him pinned against a bulkhead without even touching him. Her face scrunched up with pure undistilled rage focused on him like a laser. Those normally beautiful azure eyes crackled with fierce psionic energy.

Such was the malice that radiated off her, not even Mia dared to intervene.

"You punched me in the head, prevented me from going after my only daughter you fucking coward! I should snap your neck like a twig! I could have protected her, together she and I would have been fine. You might as well signed her death warrant!"

Wolf knew Sylvara had every right to be livid with him. He did assault her and his actions separated her from the only known living family the woman had left. Wolf had tried to justify it as it being for her own good, but in the end, he knew a line had been crossed.

"I gave you a chance that you might be able to turn your shit ridden life around! Even Mia here who's been fawning over you like some love-struck puppy has been attempting to guide you!" Sylvara's voice was like an eruption, bottled up, condensed and unending. Her words molten rock.

Every word Sylvara spoke was like a slap to his face and brought a sense of shame in his heart.

Sylvara and Mia were legitimately trying to help him. Both females had their own ways going about it. Of course, Krystal's mother had reservations about him joining them to Cerinia and made them known openly back on Svestruga. However, Krystal had vouched for him and his usefulness as a mercenary and hunter.

In his cowardice, Wolf had besmirched Krystal's good word and made her look like a fool for trusting him. The fact he had defaulted back to using force to solve his fears made Wolf's ears fall flat atop his head.

The irony settled in. It was a strange thing to Wolf, being hailed a hero. To have millions cheer for him. They thought him brave and selfless much like Fox before he was tossed aside for the new shiny.

_Me? A hero? What a fucking joke..._

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't lock your ass in a cell until we get back to The Sword of Menshar!"

The sad fact of the matter was, he couldn't. Wolf was well aware he was a bastard. For more than a decade he had been the scourge of Lylat. Bodies by the thousands lay at his feet. He had preyed on the weak and killed them without much of a second thought. While Fox was similar in that he worked for money it was always done with the underlying goal to protect the innocent and keep the system safe.

_All I ever did was for greed and my own ego..._

That was the fundamental line between him and Fox. Wolf had worked for Andross at Pigmas coercion sure, but he understood what kind of man Andross was. He knew about the experiments, the weapons, and never once protested so long as the paycheck came in. Wolf's eyes scrunched all the tighter as the next thought crossed his mind.

_I went along with the program because it was the safe bet at the time and to get a shot at McCloud._

It was Lylat all over again. Instead of doing the right thing, he'd balked and ran with his tail between his legs. The fact he knocked out Sylvara and ran away was salt on an open wound. Wolf wanted to prevent the matronly vulpine from running off half-cocked. The worst part of it was that his intentions had been noble, but the method of which he executed them were way off the mark.

A sudden dawning realization made Wolf pause in his thoughts. That same conclusion then hit him with a thousand tons of irony that came crashing down on him.

_Fuck… now I know how Fox feels._

Wolf closed his eyes and waited for Sylvara to do what she wanted. He had no answer and with him powerless against the enraged Cerinian, what could he do?

Off to the side, Mia watched on with a mixture of concern and fear. Stories of how powerful Cerinians were had circulated around certainly! But, the very idea that they could hurt someone without even touching them! It was insane to the little red panda. That was a powerful ability in and of itself.

Confusion dominated her heart. On the one side Wolf was someone she had affection for, but perhaps it had been misplaced? Mia had seen what lay inside O'Donnell's heart down on the planet. He gave into cowardice and fear and let it dictate his actions rather than stand tall and true. What she had seen of Wolf had left her with high expectations, especially for the likes of someone who was supposed to be Fox McCloud's old rival.

_Was I blinded? I mean, I had reactions to Fox and I damn near worshipped the ground that man walked on… but then what girl didn't at the end of the wars? A young, brave, and handsome tragic hero with his own rival._

A brief pause brought Mia about and closed her eyes.

_Who doesn't match up to what everyone thinks of him? I guess it's true, don't ever meet your heroes, and especially their rivals.  
_

It was hard for Mia to accept that reality. All the time she spent on Indoshan in meditation, prayer, and devotion to the gods had left her wanting in regards to the outside world and its perils. Especially those of the heart. Mia had forgotten her world-weary ways from her days as a bounty hunter. In her desire for Wolf's affections and her own charity, she had neglected reality. Such was the power of emotions. Mia had wanted to help Wolf and guide him to a better life, the problem was that Mia wasn't so sure that it was the right path anymore. Confusion ruled her mind and heart before she felt O'Donnell's eyes upon her, almost as if he were reading her very thoughts and spoke with an earnest voice.

"I told you, Mia, I'm not a good guy. I'm not someone you want to love or get to know. I kill, I cheat, steal, and murder. It's what I've always been, and always will be. There's a special seat in hell for people like me."

The sound of a pin dropping could be heard as Wolf aired out his own guilt. Not a second later that deafening silence was shattered with Wolf's words.

"Especially after working for that fuck Andross."

Wolf suddenly found himself airborne and sailing across the room as he slammed into a nearby wall. The harsh sounds of metal bending from the sheer force filled the air as meat met barrier. The greyed lupine slid down in pain and tried to pull himself up, only to be stopped by Sylvara who stared at him with murder in her eyes. It was in that moment Wolf knew ten years of karmic justice was about to be delivered. Every act he ever committed, piracy, theft, murder, war crimes. So many lives that had been taken by him and all of it was about to come home and bite him in the ass. The true irony was it would be delivered from a survivor of his long-dead employer's genocide.

A great rage burned within Sylvara's chest, one that threatened to consume her. She didn't care if Wolf only worked for Andross for one war. In her mind, it was more than enough to justify the beat down coming his way. Though to his credit, Wolf got up and lunged at Sylvara in self-defense. In response, she smiled and fell into her old training. Mia watched on as two fighters traded blows. Fists were thrown, high kicks, bare-knuckle punches and a slew of other moves that Mia strained to keep track of as the two danced. Forearms and legs smacked together in a series of parries and attempted ripostes.

"Amazing, both of them." Came the sophisticated voice of Leon off to her left.

The red panda was startled and nearly jumped off her feet. Her gaze came to spot the chameleon who seemed to appear from nowhere.

"Wolf's fighting style has always been brutal, unrefined and lacking precision. But he makes up for it with sheer force. He's the antithesis of Sylvara and McCloud."

Mia could not believe what she was hearing! Sylvara was trying to kill Wolf! It was plain as day and here Leon was commenting on it like he was watching some sort of sports entertainment!

"Sylvara's style is practiced, calculated. Every move and counter move is an intentional action; even her feints and the hits Wolf lands are calculated risks. She's the dancer to Wolf's barroom brawler."

Perplexed, Mia turned and watched the two go back and forth as they traded blows. Slowly but surely she was catching onto the differences in their styles. Leon was right. Sylvara was full of grace, flowing much like a gentle river. The way she seemed to bend and weave in and out of Wolf's harsh blows. It was evident that the older vixen was well trained. It was shown by her movements, how she would duck and weave between each strike. Wolf struggled to hit, but when he did, it showed. The sheer might behind his fist would send Sylvara back several feet before she sprung back and began to harry Wolf once more.

Wolf himself was like that of a mountain, immovable, strong, standing tall in the face of everything. Every swing carried with it the might of a landslide and would sweep away all before it. That's where the massive differences came in, Sylvara was used to combating larger, and stronger opponents. She was familiar with relying on dexterity and speed to whittle her foes down before delivering the killing strike. Whereas Wolf did as wolves do, go for the throat.

Unfortunately, his penchant for brutality was not paying off. With each passing moment, Wolf was quickly realizing the fight was one in which he could not outright win with brute force. He never had the stamina like McCloud. While he didn't lack for discipline, his inflexibility was proving to be a hindrance. With how fast Sylvara moved and struck, it was clear she took some pleasure in their fight… he was being toyed with!

If there was one thing Wolf didn't enjoy, it was being batted around like a cat with its prey. Once more Wolf tried to connect his fist with the agile vixen's center of mass; only to have his fist diverted into the open air. His hammerblow instead became a whiff of wind as she reciprocated the attack and hit him with enough force in her palm to set him back several steps.

Wolf snarled at the vixen in response, "Stop fucking with me woman! If you're going to kill me, then just get it over with!"

He resumed his fighting stance and lifted his clenched fists.

Sylvara sneered at Wolf, "Death is too good for the likes of you, Wolf." She spat.

Mia was shocked, to say the least. There was no trial, no peers. This wasn't right!

"Sylvara sto-"

Mia's voice halted at the sudden feel Leon's hand upon her left shoulder. The short woman paused mid-sentence as Leon began to speak quietly.

"Don't. Wolf would be pissed if you interfered, and something tells me Sylvara needs this."

Mianikai had a hard time understanding just what Leon meant. Sure, she was a soldier and understood the call of a warrior; but this was absurd!

"Wolf has honor. Though it's a loose set of honor, it's still there. He doesn't like being rescued." The chameleon replied as he observed the Cerinian vixen. "Though that could be his sheer stubborn will. Regardless, if she wanted to kill him, Sylvara I don't think is the type to talk. She acts. This is her blowing off steam. Even if her words say otherwise."

Mia didn't know what to say or think. The tension in the air and the waves of psionic energy rolling off Sylvara made it hard to keep her thoughts level. Oddly, Leon seemed to be the least affected by it.

The azure vixen was a ticking time bomb ready to go off at any moment. Mia had little time to contemplate before the two were at it again. Only this time Sylvara did not hold back.

Experience counted for much in the field Wolf worked in, but his formal training in ground combat was not the most immersive. His focus had always been flight first and foremost, with hand to hand taking a heavy backseat. Wolf usually had Leon or Panther to get their hands dirty. On that day, Wolf sorely wished he had paid more attention in the academy.

That wasn't to say Wolf was a slouch in a fight, but what he was facing was like a ghost. One second she was in front of him, the next she was hitting him from his left, then right. Her speed and power were like that of Fox every time they fought. What's more, was that she was in his mind and taking advantage of the fact he had no idea how to resist her intrusion.

Every horrible deed Wolf had committed in his life was playing over like a slideshow before his very eyes. Every murder, every soldier, and merchant he killed who begged for mercy. The look of utter agony and terror in Andross's victims from the mad ape's experiments. It was insanity, and even Wolf could not ignore the growing chasm of despair in his chest as he realized just how much of a monster he had been.

The strange vixen across from him seemed to know his every fear and exploit every single mental weakness. Cracks began to form in his mind with an intense buildup from years of regret and agony that hit him like a nova bomb to the chest. Wolf's stomach churned and twisted in gut-wrenching revulsion at who he was and became over the years. The sickening irony that those very same people he tormented and fought against, now hailed him a hero. The very idea that all of Lylat seemed to just forget the things he'd done to Corneria and Lylat as a whole was absurd.

Wolf's guilt weighed upon him heavily and felt as though his very soul were being crushed. His mind turned against him. He was Sylvara' plaything as she rampaged through his mind. Such action left him with little in the way of ability to put up resistance.

Wolf's claws raked across the floor with his mind caving under the pressure. The situation only worsened for him as Sylvaras boot pressed down on his skull and shoved him into the cold metal plating. He hadn't earned the title! It had all been Krystal's plan to deceive Fox, get the device and then leave him to fight the Anglars. They never even fired a shot at each other. He had won but in the most disrespectful way possible. Wolf had always thought himself an honorable type, always going for the face to face confrontation. Every decision that had been made told him what he was.

_A chickenshit opportunist._

Wolf was expecting Sylvara stomp his face into the flooring, to end him then and there. Only it never came. Instead, her boot eased off his head and her firm tone filled the cabin once more.

"You are a monster, Wolf. The fact that Lylatians call you hero is disgusting. And yet, I feel your regrets, your horror at what you've done. The path you've walked is paved in the blood of the innocent and guilty alike. Yet you squander any opportunity to change things around the moment anyone tries to help," Sylvara waited to see Wolf's response, yet none came. It seemed Wolf had accepted what she said judging from the way he breathed.

There was an intense urge to crush the lupines head like a grape, a desire to end him and for the crimes he had committed. Yet Sylvara could not ignore the precedent she had felt before. Blind anger had nearly ripped her and Krystal apart and she made a silent promise that such a thing would not taint her again. Wolf felt regrets for his actions, and it was clear it ate him up every day of his life just as her own daughter's emotions had. It was a strange thing to her, that Wolf felt it a necessity to hide it from the world in order to appear strong. Though that was no excuse for how he carried on in her eyes.

_Perhaps that was needed for his line of work. And yet Leon never seems to bat an eye at any of their actions._

"As much as I want to kill you, Wolf, doing so will not bring back the thousands you murdered. Nor my daughter from Cerinia. We will wait for as long as we can until we hear something from her. You may not understand the concept of love to one's family, but I know you understand loyalty. Otherwise, Leon would still not be here after all the hell you two have endured."

With her final words on the matter spoken, Sylvara turned and walked off towards the bridge. The trio left behind as the vixen went to see if she could find something to occupy herself with.

Wolf lay panting on the ground, the desire to empty the contents of his stomach all over the floor was great. He had just lived the entire span of forty years in mere seconds. Childhood and all. Sylvara's words reverberated in his ears and very consciousness. Wolf realized that she was right. He was a monster, he had earned that title and wore it like a badge of pride before the Anglar War. Now he was called "Hero."

_But what do I have to show for it? A hollow title, an even more empty job._

Wolf slowly sat up and thought about how things had turned out.

_At least I was an honest pirate when on the run from Corneria…_

The soft clank of boots tore Wolf from his thoughts and over him stood both Leon and Mia. Both of which were staring down at him with a degree of concern, Mianikai more so than Leon. Leon was never good about displaying worry for others. It was just how the lizard was.

Both Mia and Leon leaned over to pick him up and with it, Wolf felt a jolt of gratitude race through him as they propped him against the nearby wall. Mia then moved a chair for him to sit down in and take a rest.

"I'll be back with a medical kit, you took quite a beating," She said and wandered off, leaving only Wolf and Leon alone.

Silence deafened them both as Wolf lay his forehead in one palm with Leon standing by like an ever vigilant guard dog before Wolf spoke quietly.

"What are we doing here Leon?"

Powalski stood resolute in his silence for a moment and then spoke, "Trying to bring Krystal back in one piece, finding Fox who is on a suicidal mission out of love." It was spoken so matter of factly and without any of the emotional bits tacked on. Leon was good at that.

"Why though?" Wolf grunted.

"Loyalty," Leon said. "Krystal did give us victory, no matter how much you hate the way it was done. While she never was really Star Wolf material, she still did well and took care of us as much as we did her. Even though I knew she hated everything she was doing, and it hurt her a great deal."

That made Wolf blink in surprise as Leon became remotely sentimental about someone. "You feeling okay Leon?"

The lizard nodded, "I am."

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Wolf inquired.

"Not my business, if she wanted to share that was her prerogative. Anyone who can read vulpine body language knew she despised every minute of it. Working for us, dating Panther, and of course hurting McCloud in the way she did. She blinded herself in her indignation at what Fox did and let it fuel her. Girls got a lot of anger inside," Leon chuckled before continuing, "I tell ya, McCloud's a complete moron when it comes to women, but a genius in the cockpit," he admitted.

"So then, what do you think we should do?"

Leon eyed his leader of more than a decade, his eyes swirling and twitching about before finally zeroing in on Wolf.

"I think we should go get her, and Fox. Then after this, we go back to Corneria, admit to our crimes and pay our dues."

To say O'Donnell was astonished at Leon's words would be an understatement of the highest order.

"Really?"

Leon nodded. "The therapy you and Krystal got me after the Anglar War put things into perspective. Wasn't easy, but I'm feeling like my old self again after so many years." He muttered. "Well, myself with less… questionable behavior." Leon fidgeted lightly with his hands "It also doesn't help the planet below has been messing with me, showing me things I had long since buried or forgotten about; my victim's emotions, their looks of horror at what I was doing to them…"

The air became thick with tension as the chameleon uttered that last sentence and it would hang for some time before he spoke up once more.

"I don't like what we've become. I became an outright psychopath and I took joy in what I did to some of our targets and captives. Their blood is forever on my hands. But you Wolf? You kept us honest, as much as pirates can be anyways," He said with a soft chuckle. "What we're doing now though? Doesn't feel right. We didn't earn that spot on Corneria, Krystal did. Without her, we'd be high and dry or dead by now."

A silent expanse between them lingered for some time before Leon spoke again. The chameleon legitimately cared for Wolf, the pair having been nigh inseparable as a team through thick and thin. With his mental health greatly improved over the last couple of years, Leon saw things differently than during the Aparoid invasion or the Anglar War itself. No longer was he the screeching madman, a combination of medication and personal will saw him to where he was. Leon felt he owed Wolf and was trying to encourage him to seek a better existence than the one they had. The lupine had earned that much for all they endured together and thus Leon switched the subject onto something he found rather amusing.

"That girl has her eye on you, even if she's confused right now. Mia sees something she likes and determined to get it. The time may be coming where you and I part ways, Wolf."

The greyed wolf eyed his only true friend forlornly before speaking, "Powalski, you're talking out your ass. You and I have been through too much shit to just leave one another behind. Besides, that girl could do better than some old fart of a merc who's likely going to prison when we get back."

Leon smirked slightly, "Not if McCloud vouches for you."

"Always an angle with you," Wolf said with a quiet smile on his snout.

"Always, boss."

Wolf flicked open a pack of cigarettes and put one to his lips. No doubt the little red panda would complain and he wouldn't mind it. Mia was kind of cute when she got that way.

"I guess we'll see how things play out."

**x-x-x-x**

A brutal uncaring wind whipped past Krystal's ears as she strode forward with caution. Her destination was the gates of her mental fortress. That very same place was where the walls of a once a proud and mighty holdfast were. Now, it stood in shambles. It's bricks burnt with shattered walls crumbling and in ill repair. Blood tinged the walls and ran down in thick rivulets. To Krystal, her mental defenses had taken on the look of a gigantic gravestone jutting up from the earth to signal the demise of her defenders. With her fortress in such a state, Krystal found herself wondering why had she not succumbed to madness?

Her eyes drank in the carnage around her. The ashen wastes were littered with bodies of the damned. Their blood mingled with the soot beneath her feet to make a disgusting slurry of viscera and vital bodily fluids. The skies overhead were dark and sullen with only the fires of her ruined keep lighting the way. Never had Krystal felt so alien within her own self; isolated and alone. Every step she took was sopping wet and mixed with the horrible smell and feel of grime between her toes. The revulsion she felt only grew more intense the further she went. The wet sound of her toes squishing through the mixture caused her to retch several times before reigning in the urge to vomit.

Krystal had never heard of nor witnessed such a mass intrusion before. Beneath her feet were figures in varying states of death, each one more indistinguishable than the last. The sight was truly heart wrenching with each Cerinian missing portions of their clothes, faces, entire bodies blackened with who knew what.

Krystal felt as though she were walking through a mass grave.

Each step brought her closer to the gates of her now a dilapidated mental fortress, the walls paved in blood and gate a dingy dried out red.

_Must have been one hell of a fight judging from all the bodies._

"And look who comes waltzing in after all the carnage." Came the mocking tone of Kursed.

Krystal lifted her gaze at said vixen sitting atop the first level of staircases leading up to the battlements. Her rage was hardly recognizable as the vixen's body was covered in viscera and gore. The only distinguishing feature was that of Kursed's eyes and the staff weapon she held in the grip of her paw. Kursed glowered at Krystal with utter contempt. Those very same eyes which were mirrors into her own burned with true spite, rage, and deep seething hatred.

The two vixens stood staring at one another for the longest time as the wind kicked up the stench of death.

"We both know how this ends," Kursed's voice uttered with accusation, "I kept us alive, I protected us. Without me, you would just be a sad little girl on Corneria whimpering pathetically while that moron Caroso tried to woo us into his bed… Brilliant move on that part by the way,." Kursed stood as she continued to speak and took each bloody step one by one

"It was me who delivered victory, it was me who hurt McCloud just as you wanted. It was **me** who got you in with Star Wolf, without me, you are nothing." Each step brought her closer until the two vixens stared at each other mere inches apart.

"You're wrong," Krystal said in reply. "It was not you, it was us. We are the same, you are part of me and always have been. Just as much as fear, anxiety, and all my other emotions I let control me and direct my ire," she replied in a calm collected tone.

"But no more."

Kursed grinned with derision at Krystal. "And what makes you think you can stop me? What's stopping me from killing you right now and taking over and becoming who we were meant to be?"

"Try me," Krystal replied.

Kursed only grinned with malicious intent before she picked up her baleful crimson staff and swung.

**x-x-x-x**

Fox McCloud sat bolt upright and held the left side of his head with a paw. "What the… what was that?" Fox let his eyes take in the mighty cathedral. He had sworn the sound of Krystal's voice was near, yet the blue vixen was nowhere to be seen. A low growl emanated from his throat in response to those same emotions that combined with a deep sense of foreboding. His chest rose and fell in annoyance before he sat back down in his pew.

Cedia was nowhere to be seen and Ceria's presence had all but vanished. He didn't have time to waste anymore. It was now or never.

Alone and uncertain, Fox stood and walked towards the great shrine, brilliant multi-layered golden candle holders stood atop a marble slab. The opulent building held so many intricate details and little nuances it would take him years to get them all together in his mind. As he approached, a brilliant flash of blue light ran from his boots all the way to the top of his ears. That same burst of energy was followed by the sound of a sharp klaxon braying into the cathedral.

His eyes took in the shrine as it lifted up on a set of hydraulic stilts up high. Upon inspection of the passage that had been revealed, there was just enough room for Fox to go in with his head ducked down. A series of steps led down into a dark corridor which strangely smelled sterile. Fox issued forth a deep shuddering breath of trepidation and took the plunge into the bowels of Cerinia.

The dark swallowed him and only but the faintest light from above let him see a few feet in front. His paw lay on the wall using it as a guide in the dark until a dull hum began to fill the enclosed space. It slowly echoed off the walls and filled the air about him. It seemed to be everywhere at once! Fox was unsure what was happening until finally, several keening discharges went off. One by one powerful light began to fill the hallway, lighting his way further into wherever it was he was going.

The gentle thrum of fluorescent bulbs filled the corridor. Step by step he made his way ever more confidently down the stairs, deeper into the crust of the world. What felt like an eternity passed before Fox arrived in what could only be described as a laboratory. The exit to the tunnel opened up into a massive facility that was rounded out and a tall ceiling that turned into a sort of cone at its apex. Fox turned his eyes downwards and began to examine the room. A series of computer consoles lined the walls, papers were spilled about the room in chaos and dust covered everything, and yet, at the center of it all was a massive deep sea blue sphere lined in Cerinian runes and etchings.

All manner of symbols and details were intricately woven into the strange azure sphere that seemed to reflect all light off it and emitted an eerie glow from its shape.

Despite the barren nature of the lab, Fox felt that he was not alone. Yet it was not a familiar presence that was watching him. It was not Aldwynn, it certainly was not Cedia or Ceria…

_Then who?_

Fox walked carefully towards the large spheroid until he came around to one side and found a mummified Ceirnian in a lab coat. The scientist was easily identifiable as male and yet the bodies appearance perturbed him.

The man did not die screaming or writhing in agony like those on the surface did. If anything, it looked like this male died peacefully. A look of contentment on his features over the thinly stretched dried-out skin.

Fox continued to examine the body closely until his eyes were drawn down to a small device clutched in the mummified vulpines palm. To Fox, It looked to be some sort of small personal computer, or perhaps a device that recorded voice and images.

Carefully, Fox slid the device out from the bodies knuckles and in the palm of his hand.

One single name was printed on the device's edge in neat flowing Cerinian script.

_Arlys._

And next to it was a symbol of Krystal's tribe, the sun with four points.

The tods eyes gazed at the device and then back to the mummified remains quizzically.

_Who are you?_

The tod put the small computer down and reached his paw slowly to the towering device before him. Just as his fingers were about to make contact a loud hiss of anger filled his mind before he found himself flung across the room and back against a filing cabinet.

"Stupid boy,"

Fox frantically looked for the source of the voice and was greeted by Ceria herself, or who he thought was Ceria. Instead of the thick fur coat and her matronly appearance; he was greeted by what could only be considered a caricature.

What greeted him was not a stern motherly gaze, instead, it was a cold and barren visage full of ire and sunken features. Almost like a malnourished body. Ceria's fur coat was no longer lustrous but thin, bedraggled, almost as if she were diseased. The vixen's frame was wraithlike and stretched like too little butter over too much bread.

_Like a ghost…_

Fox could practically see the sickly vixen's rib cage. It was like staring at the personification of death itself. The tod gripped his sword in abject terror as he stared up at the horrifying sight before him.

"C-Ceria?!"

The thin-lipped vixen gave a grimace of a smile. Sharp needle-like teeth punctuating just how terrible she looked.

"One and only."

Fox didn't understand, she was so healthy before!

"What happened to you?!"

The vixen continued to grin as she stepped over to Fox in her mottled robe and picked Fox up by the neck as if he were nothing but a toy. "You do not need to understand, you are here for one purpose, and that is to give your life and soul for my home. Cerinia will be reborn, and when all is said and done my children live once more. Then, I will take to the stars and destroy all who wronged us. The galaxy will burn in my name until Cerinians reign supreme," She hissed viciously and tightened her grip around McCloud's throat. The vixen shoved him against the sphere with his back pinned to the large device.

"W-why?! I came here to help!"

"Liar!" Her voice echoed with a thunderous clap. "You came here for yourself, nothing more. Your selfish want to prove that you're oh so worthy of that tramp of a vixen. But that's fine, you are where I want you to be, and soon, she'll be here too. Then you can die together," Ceria snorts in derision before grinning and pressing her bony nose to Fox's. A wild maddened look in her eyes, not unlike that of an animal suffering from rabies.

"At least this drama will yield some actual fruit and your life will truly have meaning. You and Krystal shall be remembered as the brave souls who gave life to a Cerinian Empire reborn… you may relish in that, McCloud," She said with a snide jeer at the end of the sentence.

A sudden damp feeling on his back made Fox blink in horror as the seemingly metallic object turned fluid began to absorb him. The device's strange properties crept through his fur coat and across his skin which only made the tod struggle and yell in vain. Terror gripped his heart as the freezing gel engulfed him until his vision was encapsulated in darkness. Fox thrashed and squirmed as the world around him felt like he was submerged in dense sludge. That feeling would last far too long and nearly drove him mad. Abruptly, the sensation of smooth glass began to form around him. Fox's vision which had been obscured, suddenly became blurry as blaring light shone through his prison and all around him seemingly was a crystalline structure. On the other side of his prison stood Ceria who stared at him with cold calculating eyes.

_Enjoy your new home, as temporary as it is. I'm sure Krystal will be along shortly to "save" you._

Fox's heart raced and slammed against his rib cage. The tod desperately tried to open his mouth to yell but his lips refused to part. He was frozen and locked in place. In his predicament, Fox did the only thing he could do and tapped into his mental link with Krystal. He bellowed as loud as he could mentally to let her know she was in danger. That it was a trap.

He would never forgive himself if Krystal came to harm because of his impatience and bullheaded nature.

 _We may very well die because of me…_ And Fox could do nothing but sit there and stew in that very thought as it echoed throughout his mind. He had caused this, all of it. Krystal's anguish, her suffering. Now, he would be the cause of her coming into a trap because Fox knew in his heart she would not stay away. She would sacrifice everything for him, even her life.

If Fox had the power to weep, he would have done so. The stasis his body was in ceased all function but his brain. To which Fox was left acutely aware of everything going on around him. There was nothing but time to think and it did not take long for him to reach the conclusion that Ceria was right. His intent to come here was selfish, back on the Mensharr, Krystal was ready to talk. He even felt it with their renewed bond and he had thrown it all away when he heard his parents and that damned sword talked to him.

Like a puzzle piece locking in, McCloud came to a sudden stark realization and everything fell into place. Ceria knew she had to know about his memories. He had been wielding that blade for so long and it held her power!

_Stupid! Fucking stupid idiot! I should have known, gods above I should have known! She tricked me! It was a ruse! The damn weapon gave her a direct conduit to me!_

The only things he couldn't explain were his father's aviators and the emerald necklace, but with her being a god, it probably wouldn't take much to fabricate those.

_She could have put them there, could have manifested it all!_

He had been duped and used.

_Krazoa… God… please, anyone. Save her, I don't care what happens to me! Save her!_

Fox pleaded and hoped that someone out there might be listening. His cries were earnest and heartfelt, but in his heart, he felt it too little, too late.

_If only I had listened! If only I had let her in and be everything we could have been._

In his self-depreciation, Fox began to unravel as he was left with nothing but his mind. Three and a half years of personal torment and pain caught up to him in the span of seconds.

It is a rare man who can survive his own guilt when left with nothing but his thoughts, himself, and the very notion that the vixen he supposedly loved would be walking into a death trap… and he was the bait.

Fox began to destroy himself internally and all he could do was scream with his mind and pray that Krystal heard his pleas to stay away.

**x-x-x-x**

Back in the realm of Krystal's mind, the azure vixen found herself in a fight for her very mind and body. Kursed was relentless, savage, without mercy. Her crimson staff bathed in the blood of so many tormented Cerinians clashed off Krystal's own blue and gold weapon. The sharp cry of metal banging together rang out in tandem with both vixens powerful cries of rage filling the dread air.

They danced among the dead in a grim waltz of destruction, bright orbs of energy, sprays of ice and ground quaking impacts rattled the dilapidated fortress as the two met time and time again. Neither one gaining ground as Kursed's taunts filled the air.

"Weakling! Coward! You could never do what needed to be done! You should have killed him for what he did!"

Krystal spat back at her counterpart with venom in her voice, defending Fox who was not there to defend himself, "He already died! He's paid his dues tenfold!"

"Not to me!" Kursed snapped back! "I want blood for how he hurt me!"

The two vixens charged at one another with their staves once more making contact with a strong field of psionic energy burst forth from the center.

A potent snarl of anger emerged from within Krystal's chest as she pushed back against her mental manifestation. "No! It's that thought process that got me here! The anger, the agony! It consumed me! All the fears of being alone again and not being good enough!" Her hackles rose up high when Kursed came flying at her with supernatural speed and strength. The ground furrowed beneath Krystal's feet with the force of impact that shoved the cerulean vixen back with such force it made her teeth clench tightly together.

"I don't care about being good enough or alone anymore! I want revenge!" Kursed roared in response. The two vixens locked together with their staves pressed in close, the pair nearly nose to nose.

With fangs bared and blood dribbling down onto her features, Krystal struggled against the overwhelming source of her animosity. The hate, her contempt, her fears, and savagery all rolled up into one vixen.

_But where were the others?_

Krystal began to doubt herself as Kursed pressed her deeper into the blood-sodden mud up to her ankles.

"You are weak, you made us weak! I will make us strong again!" The blood caked vixen decreed.

Weakness took her, her arms burned in agony with her legs aching from the sheer force of Kursed.

" _You know what you have to do, my daughter."_ Came the paternal voice of her father. _"You are strong, you can do this. Only you can forgive Fox and yourself."_

Krystal bore her teeth once more. She wanted so desperately to truly forgive, to end all of it and continue on with life. Every moment played out before her eyes, the moment Fox kicked her off the team, she felt alone, abandoned, discarded, worthless. Her heart had become a gaping chasm only for the waters of hatred to rush in and replace what had once been filled with bountiful love and empathy. How she joined Star Wolf, her loves nemesis and how she fell for Panther's charms. The things he would whisper in her ear about Fox to stoke the raging inferno that was her sense of disgrace. The venomous satisfaction of revenge taken on her former lover when she took the device that was the source of Lylats salvation. How she caught wind of the whispers behind her back from Cornerians and Lylatians as a whole and when she finally tore down their idol Fox McCloud.

Oh, how satisfied she had felt, so justified in all her actions.

Only for it all to explode in her face when she revisited the Great Fox with every single regret, and wonderful memory playing over in her conscious mind. Every kiss on the cheek, each time they held hands and cuddled. How divine his kisses were on her lips. Her heart ached painfully at how she could harm him in such a way. Fox had treated her so well up until that fateful moment. That one colossal mistake had cost them everything and she was partly to blame.

_He hurt me deeply, deeper than any man ever should have been able to… But I let him in, I gave him that power and never once did he abuse it. Only when he became frightened that I would die did he falter._

_He was scared of losing me._

_I was scared of losing him._

_We were scared of each other. The power we hold over one another._

_The power we shared together. How together, we were unstoppable._

And there it was, plain as day. Her heart wrenched itself apart as she realized what the source of all her agony was. What had driven her to such actions, such malice and dishonorable conduct?

Krystal had felt as though she had lost her home all over again. The very idea of being left adrift again with no one to turn to. No one to trust, no purpose. It all rolled together into a powerful shot of desperation to the mind, and in that melancholy, she turned to her former enemies.

Krystal realized that she felt unloved, unwanted, and in her weakened state anger consumed her. It became her purpose, her dedication. Rage and bile were her new bedfellows, and through it all, she had never given Fox the proper chance to make up for what he did. Nor had she given herself the chance to forgive herself for her behavior.

All that time it had built up, simmered, and ran through her like a shot of poison tainting everything and everyone around her.

_It's my fault as much as his! Together we destroyed each other… and only together can we forgive ourselves!_

All that and more welled up in Krystal until a brilliant wave of sea green power exploded forth from her body and sent Kursed spiraling across the ground. The gore-stained vixen moved to get up and renew the attack only to stop as cold pain ran through her chest. The sickening sound of bone breaking and blood being spilled. The rage-filled vulpines eyes came to rest and stare at the golden staff now stained red with her own blood. With an almost ice calm clarity, Kursed lifted her paw to grab at the haft and held firm. Soft shuddering breaths racked her failing lungs and body as blood seeped into her lungs, throat, and mouth. Slowly, those aquamarine eyes lifted to gaze at Krystal who stared down at her with defiance.

"It was not you, who kept us alive. It was not you who did all these things. It was me… all of it. And it's time I stopped blaming everything on my emotions and take my portion of the responsibility for what happened. No more split emotions. No more regrets," Krystal uttered as she drove the staff deeper inside of Kursed's chest.

"The past is done and over with. Now, I will fight for my future," With those final words spoken, Krystal's staff opened up and discharged a heat blast inside her rage, vaporizing her doppelganger in an instant.

Krystal watched as her counterpart faded away into nothing and took a deep breath before letting out a mighty yell of her people that was felt well beyond the borders of her mind.

The real world filled her vision and Krystal sat upright in her hospital bed. The clean room lights hummed in their housing above the bed with the smell of a clean room filling her nostrils once again. Only this time, she was not alone. Her eyes took in the various Cerinians who stood around her bed and upon seeing her wake, each one fell to bended knee in submission before her.

Krystal growled out only one phrase, "Where is my staff."

An elder vixen that donned the elegant yet faded purple robes of the priesthood lifted the retracted weapon and offered it to Krystal on two wrinkly greyed hands. "Your weapon, My Lady…"

Imgran too was there and had kneeled just as the rest was. The old hierarchies still held true and his head lifted. "What are your orders, My Lady?" Spoke the man, concerned yet hopeful.

Krystal took a deep breath as a sudden weight of responsibility she never asked for was placed upon her shoulders. Each vulpine opened their mind to her and brought herself up to speed on all that had transpired between these survivors and their various histories. She was the next in line for the throne after her mother, and her royal blood granted her authority over Cerinia's subjects. However, she would not abuse her station and demand of them their lives for someone they just met.

_Old hierarchies be damned._

"I have no orders, but my mission is the same. I intend to rescue my mate and bring him home. If you wish to follow me, then you may. If not, then I will inform our space fairing kin that you are here and come retrieve you once it is done." She stated with renewed conviction within her voice.

"Now… tell me everything that is going on here."

The elder priestess nodded at the order, "At once, though perhaps a meal first, My Lady."

Krystal grimaced at the honorific and gave a shake of her head. "Krystal will do fine, thank you… and a meal sounds perfect right about now… please."

Unstrapped and unshackled from her bed, Krystal was allowed free movement, and as they walked the elderly woman began to speak.

"A war is coming, Krystal, one I hope that we can survive."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! Sorry for the long awaited update, school has been hammering me but I got it done! It'll be a while yet for chapter 16, especially since I got a couple one shots I want to crank out, and I want to work on FK's next chapter as well before really delving into the meat and bones of the next two chapters. Which is going to be two parter. A lot will be going down after this chapter. So, I hope you're all ready for the final showdown. It's gonna be a doosey!
> 
> I want to thank each and every reader who has stuck with this hog of a story, left their critiques and reviews. Even if some of them didn't agree with what I've done or how I treated Krystal. It's given me information, ideas, and perspective on how to carry forward. Seriously, you all have been great. Anyways, enough of my blathering, onto the story. Enjoy!


End file.
